


Love Undercover

by TanyaReed



Category: due South
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-21
Updated: 2012-08-26
Packaged: 2017-11-12 14:53:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 55,616
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/492388
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TanyaReed/pseuds/TanyaReed
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Meg and Ray are thrown together on a case, they have to deal with pretending to be married, a dangerous criminal...and their growing attraction to each other.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Artwork for this story, by n_e_star, can be found [here](http://archiveofourown.org/works/496035/chapters/868544):

“Vecchio!”

Welsh's voice echoed around the bullpen, and Ray winced. As he got up from his desk, he wondered what he had done this time to annoy his Lieutenant. He frowned as three of his and Fraser's latest stunts came to mind.

 _Greatness,_ he thought sarcastically, sauntering towards Welsh's office.

He went by Frannie, whose glance said, “You're in big trouble, mister,” and resisted the urge to stick out his tongue. They had been pretending to be brother and sister for almost a year now and, somehow, the concept had absorbed itself into the way they acted towards each other.

Ray pushed this thought aside as he stood in front of the desk, facing Lieutenant Welsh.

“You wanted to see me?”

“Yeah. Shut the door, Detective.”

Welsh didn't sound angry or annoyed, so Ray relaxed a little as he did as he was asked.

“We need to talk about a case,” the lieutenant started even before the door was fully closed.

“What kind of case?” Ray settled into one of the chairs in front Welsh's desk.

“A complicated one.”

“How complicated?”

“We'll be helping the Feds.”

Ray scowled. Cooperating with the Feds usually meant Agent Ford barging in and bossing everyone around. “I'm listening.”

“Ever hear of Steven McKnight?”

“Gun runner, woman seller, drug trader, murderer Steven McKnight?”

“Alleged,” Welsh said through gritted teeth. Ray knew how much it pissed him off when scumbags went free, and Interpol had been trying to bring McKnight down for at least a decade.

“Whatever. He in town?”

“Not exactly.” Welsh ran a hand down his face.

“Then what is it?”

“He got married.”

“So. I've done it. You've done it...”

“Don't be a smart ass, Detective. The point is, something's got the bigwigs riled up on both sides of the border, and a new investigation is being launched. It's being headed by a joint task force of the Feds and the Mounties. They need some agents to go undercover.”

“You want me to help them.”

“I'm getting to that, Ray.”

“Sorry.”

“Relations between the Feds and the Mounties are okay, but they've never worked together this way before.” He paused. “What they need is a Canadian and an American to act as a couple. McKnight and his wife are headed to a couples' retreat—married couples only—and the higher ups want to know why. Is McKnight going there to meet a contact? Is the resort a front for some of McKnight's activities? Even if it's not, in the weeks the undercover couple would have to study McKnight, they might find out something vital.”

“What does that have to do with me?”

“The Mounties have someone in mind for the job. They've picked her because of her rank, and because she's got experience working with Americans. She's also a decorated officer. The problem is the Feds want her to work with someone she's comfortable with—someone she knows and she's worked with before. Everything rests on her and her partner's ability to fool everyone at the resort.”

“I know this woman?”

“The Mounties chose Thatcher.”

“The Ice Queen?” Ray laughed. “And who's the poor sucker that has to pretend to be married to her?”

Welsh looked at him levelly, and horror cut off his laughter.

“No,” he blurted.

“Ray...”

“No means no.”

“I don't think you have a choice. You've spent more time with the Inspector than anyone here except for me, and I'm old enough to be her father.”

“I'm already undercover!”

“They specifically asked for you. My hands are tied. Besides, as of today, Vecchio is on Medical Leave.”

“I can't do this.” Ray got up and started pacing. “There's no way anyone'd believe I was married to the Ice Queen.”

She came into his mind, and he studied the image. Pretty, sure, pretty enough that he'd thought about trying to crack her ice a time or two, but cold. Stern. Logical. Unbending. Classy. Untouchable. Her glares gave him frostbite...except for when she was riled up. She had a temper under that calm confidence, and she irritated him beyond belief.

“They'll believe it because you'll make them believe it. Don't let us down, Detective.” Ray just stopped pacing and looked at him hopelessly. “There's a meeting tomorrow at the Consulate. Fifteen hundred hours. I suggest you be there.”

XXX

The meeting hadn't even started yet, and Meg had a headache. She was sitting at her desk, digging through her top drawer for aspirin. Faintly, she could hear voices coming from the boardroom—all men—and her stomach clenched.

It wasn't that she minded going undercover. The idea had always excited her, even though being shoved into administration had reduced her chances for the opportunity to almost nil. No, going undercover wasn't the problem. It was how she was going undercover...and with whom.

Meg gulped down the aspirin and thought of the man she was going to have to pretend to be in love with. The new Detective Vecchio. Hell, she might as well call a spade a spade. Ray Kowalski, the most irritating man on the planet. He was rude and disrespectful. At times, she wanted to throttle him. How she was supposed to live in the same room with him without strangling him, let alone make people believe she was in love with him was beyond her. Still, that was her assignment, and she'd perform her duty without question—even if it killed her.

“Hey, Turnbull.” Ray's voice came from the foyer.

“Hello, Detective Vecchio. They're waiting for you in the boardroom.”

“Thanks, buddy.”

Meg frowned. If Ray was there, it was time for the meeting to start. He was almost always late. Reluctantly, she got to her feet and grabbed her notebook and pen. She was going to hurry out of her office, when a thought struck her. With a sigh, she dug another pen and notebook out of her desk. She knew from experience that the detective was never prepared.

When she hurried into the boardroom a few minutes later, everyone was already seated. Each man, even the detective, had a cup of coffee sitting in front of him, compliments of Turnbull. The two government agents both had folders and notebooks but, just as she had assumed, the table in front of Ray was empty.

Meg closed the door and took a seat beside Ray, pushing a pad and a pen towards him.

“Thanks.”

She nodded sharply, turning her gaze to the two men across from them. Before either had a chance to speak, there was a knock on the door. It opened and Turnbull appeared, another cup of coffee in his hands.

“Excuse me. I don't mean to interrupt, but I brought your coffee, sir.”

As he held it out to her, Meg relaxed slightly. She was reminded that this was her Consulate. She had been chosen for this assignment because she was capable and reliable.

“Thank you, Constable,” she said, accepting the cup. “Please close the door on your way out.”

“Yes, sir.” He nodded to the others. “Gentlemen.”

The agents, one Canadian, one American, waited until Turnbull left before speaking. Daniels, the Canadian, was a large, balding man with small eyes that were just a little too close together. He spoke first.

“As you know, the two of you have been chosen for a very special assignment. We have been trying to pin something on McKnight for years, and this might be our chance. We've never before had an opportunity to observe him, not this closely, and, if you find proof of illegal activity, all the better. The two of you have been chosen because of your histories in law enforcement, citations and decorations, and experience.”

“And because you've worked together before.” The American's voice was low and deep, and his surprisingly light eyes stood out starkly in his dark face. Meg searched her mind. Oh, yes, his name was Michaels. “We didn't want to throw strangers into an assignment like this.”

“What do we have to do?” Ray asked. His tone held some anger and resentment.

Meg glanced at him. It was plain by his expression that didn't like this. At all. She fought the urge to frown. It wasn't as if this was the assignment of her dreams either.

“We want you to investigate, Detective. Find out what McKnight's up to. Discover his weaknesses, his secrets.”

“The retreat's name is 'Couples' Haven',” Daniels added. “It's kind of like a buffet for couples. There's both counseling and leisure activities, scheduled events and free time. There are short, intense packages, and longer, more relaxed vacations. Over the summer, there is a twelve week program.”

“Twelve weeks?” This seemed to burst from Ray. “That's three months!”

“Yes. I understand it focuses on teaching long term commitment by learning to both play and work together.”

Michaels held up a brochure with the words Daniels just said on the cover. He almost smiled. “McKnight and his wife are enrolled in this twelve week program—and, as of this morning, so are you.”

“There will be eight other couples, besides the McKnights. We've got folders on each of them as well as all of the retreat's employees.”

Meg absorbed the information, rolling it through her mind for questions to ask after the briefing.

“We'll also be giving you any information we have on the place to help you prepare.”

“As for your covers,” Michaels said, “You will be Megan and Raymond Thatcher...”

“I'm going to be Mr. Thatcher?” Ray sounded a little stunned.

“We wanted the names to be familiar. Nothing can give you away.”

Daniels took two folders from his pile and handed one to Ray and one to Meg. “Here is all the information you'll need on your backgrounds. I suggest you study and memorize it.”

“As I was saying,” Michaels gave Ray a stern look, “you will be Megan and Raymond Thatcher, married three months, and deeply in love.”

“We have to pretend to be newlyweds?”

“It's so people will not question your need to be physically close in public or your sudden disappearances.”

“I'm supposed to act like I'm madly in love with _her_? Like I can't keep my hands off _her_?” he asked incredulously.

“Is there a problem, Detective?” Meg asked coldly, his tone irritating her enough that she felt heat come to her cheeks. After all, it wasn't as if pretending that all she wanted to do was touch him would be easy for her either. And it wasn't as if she were completely repulsive.

“Not as long as you don't deck me when I kiss you.”

This statement killed her irritation. She didn't want to think of that part of the assignment, but the truth was that she was going to have to touch him. She was going to have to kiss him.

Michaels cleared his throat. “Detective? Inspector?”

Meg swallowed. “Sorry, sir.”

He nodded. “Megan is a university professor of Canadian literature. Raymond owns and runs his own bar. They met through a mutual friend and, despite their differences, they fell in love. Many of the people who go to this retreat are having marital problems, but there are almost as many who go just to strengthen their bonds, especially to the eight to twelve week programs, which focus on learning to enjoy each other's company.”

“So, why are Ray and Megan going?” Meg asked.

“It was Megan's idea. She wants their love to always be as good as it is right now. She's afraid that the two of them are so different that eventually the passion will fade and they'll have nothing left. She's dragging Ray there so they can learn how to stay in love in spite of adversity.”

She nodded, absorbing this but avoiding looking at Ray. “Where is Couple's Haven?”

“It's a small island off the American coast owned and operated by Rebecca and Joshua Fossen. He's a therapist, and she's a chef. They opened the retreat about ten years ago.”

“You leave in two weeks,” Daniels told them. “I suggest you be ready.”

XXX

“Stop fussing, Turnbull,” Meg said absently for at least the tenth time as she retrieved her luggage from the trunk of the Consulate car. She was getting tired of his endless stream of questions: Did you remember the dossiers? Did you pack your sunscreen? Did you remember your bathing suit? If Constable Fraser is Acting Liaison Officer, does that mean I am Acting Deputy Liaison Officer? You won't forget to eat three healthy meals a day, will you? Sometimes her Constable resembled nothing more that a mother hen, but after two years as his superior officer Meg had learned to take it in stride—mostly.

Now, though, her patience was reaching its breaking point. She supposed that had as much to do with the man standing beside her, also hauling out luggage, as it had to do with Turnbull. She snuck a glance at the detective. He was wearing a form fitting leather jacket, beat up old jeans, and a pair of sunglasses that probably cost more than the both of them combined. He also looked cranky and unhappy. She couldn't fault him for that, she supposed; she wasn't exactly looking forward to spending the next three months with him either. They'd be lucky if they didn't kill each other.

“This is gonna suck,” he grumbled.

“I suggest we make the best of it,” she answered, refusing to take the bait.

She picked up her bags and started walking towards the airport. 

“Don't forget the rings, sir,” Turnbull said, and she stopped to look at him.

“I beg your pardon?”

“The wedding rings.” He reached into the pouch on his Sam Browne and withdrew them. “Agent Michaels gave them to me for safekeeping.

Agent Michaels must not have known how often Constable Turnbull lost things.

“We have to wear rings?” Ray asked, slamming the trunk.

“Agent Michaels insisted.”

Ray grunted, so Meg told him, “We are supposed to be married.”

Carefully, she took the smallest of the offered rings out of Turnbull's hand. It was actually quite pretty. The golden band was elegantly simple. There were no diamonds, but there was a soft impression of a leafy vine around the centre. Inside, there was an inscription. “You hold my heart, Ray.”

“They aren't very flashy, are they?” Ray commented, picking his up too. “Stella's was full of diamonds. It took me years to pay it off. Mine was plain, though. I think I like them better matchin' like this.”

“Are you going to put them on each other?” Turnbull asked. Something in his voice made Meg glance up. There was a strange, soft expression on his face.

 _If he says he always cries at weddings_ , Meg thought, _I'll hit him with my suitcase._

“Nah,” Ray said, slipping his on. Meg envied the ease with which he did so. She felt reluctant to follow suit, but both men were looking at her expectantly so she forced it on.

“Well, I guess it's official, then,” she said briskly. “We're married. Now, we'd better hurry or we'll miss our flight.”

Turnbull sniffed. “Would you like me to carry your suitcases inside, sir?”

“No, you've done quite enough. We can handle it from here.”

“All right. Good luck, sir. Good luck, Ray.”

“Thanks, buddy. We're gonna need it.”

Meg rolled her eyes and turned her back on them, approaching the airport with determination.


	2. Chapter 2

The flight was long, and it seemed even longer to Ray because the woman at his side was unwilling to say more than a few words to him the whole way. That left him lots of time to think and all that he could think was that this was going to be a disaster. He didn't even know how to act like he liked her—which he actually did, most of the time—let alone like he loved her.

Eventually, they landed and were directed to a private plane. When they boarded, Ray saw that there were already twelve people on the plane. He recognized them from the files stored in his suitcase and knew they were also headed to Couple's Haven. Some of them looked nervous, and some of them looked excited. One of the men looked as if he were going to his execution. Ray understood how he felt.

Thinking about first impressions, he reached behind him and casually took the Inspector's—Meg's, he corrected himself—hand. He felt her start before her small, warm fingers closed around his. They made their way to a couple of empty seats and settled in. Meg closed her eyes immediately, blocking out the people around her. Ray figured she was preparing herself for what was to come. For the first time, he considered that she might be dreading this as much as he was.

Ray nodded a hello to the people around them, then leaned back to endure the short flight to their destination. He was still holding the Inspector's hand.

It took another hour to reach Couple's Haven. By the time they got there, all Ray wanted to do was take a nap. He could never sleep on planes, and they made him feel groggy and nauseous. 

As they exited the aircraft with the others, Ray snuck a glance at Inspector Thatcher. She looked tired, and he could tell she was psyching herself up for this. Her eyes met his and she plastered a smile on her face. It was the same one she used to placate unreasonable people, and to Ray it looked fake.

“Relax,” he said softly. “You look as if you're fighting to be happy.”

Her eyes snapped at this, but her smile dimmed a little and softened. It looked more natural and Ray nodded approval.

After a short delay, their group was loaded onto a bus, and they were driven to a large resort. Ray openly gawked at the view around him, but Meg seemed unimpressed. 

Inside the doors of the largest building, they were met by a smiling couple. Both of them were tall and thin and looked as if they spent a lot of time in the sun. This didn't surprise Ray; the hot, wet air had assaulted him as soon as he left the plane. His clothes were already stuck to his back.

“Welcome,” the woman said. Her voice was soft and melodious, and there was a flower in her red-blond hair. “I'm Rebecca Fossen, and this is my husband Joshua. This is Couple's Haven or, as we like to call it, Paradise. For the next twelve weeks, you will rediscover your partner, learn what makes him or her tick and how to hold on to a happy, successful marriage.”

“Some of the things we do here may seem unusual,” Mr. Fossen added. “We want you to learn to work and play together—and to spend some healthy time apart. Fridays here on the island are girls' night and boys' night. Saturdays are date night. The rest of the week there will be scheduled therapy and activities scattered in with healthy doses of free time. You will find all the information you need to know in your rooms. Each package has been set up to suit your individual needs.”

“That was why you had to fill in the information sheets,” Rebecca put in. “Take a look around you. Except for three couples who arrived earlier, these are the people you will be spending time with. We encourage friendships here as well as relationships. Also, be aware that while there is no television programming on the island, the rooms have been supplied with videos. The rooms don't have phones and there is patchy cell phone service, but there are three phones in the main lounge for contacting your families.”

“What happens now?” someone asked.

Ray looked over to see a small, serious woman who, like Meg, was dressed in a neat business suit.

“Now, you go to the front desk and get registered. You will be shown your rooms and in about two hours, at three o'clock, you will be attending a meet and greet. I'm sure you will enjoy your stay here, and your marriages will be better for it.”

XXX

Meg felt tense as Ray put down his bags and fished in his jeans pocket for their key cards. He was no longer frowning, and there was a hint of humour in his eyes. Meg had a feeling her obvious discomfort had something to do with it. She had managed to hold his hand on the plane and to stand close to him afterwards, all the while maintaining some kind of smile. The whole time she could feel first his energy, then his amusement.

It annoyed her that he was amused.

“So far, so good,” he said quietly, opening the door. “No one's pointed and said, 'You've got to be kiddn' me.'”

“Funny,” she huffed, pushing passed him into their large room.

That was her first impression. It was huge, and the predominant feature was a bed that could have slept five comfortably. Her eyes took it in and then darted away. There was a couch too, she was glad to see, long and roomy, with a large TV sitting in front of it at such an angle that it could be seen from both pieces of furniture.

Stepping further into the room, she saw a large dresser and closet. At the far side of the room, in an alcove, there was a wardrobe big enough to house a queen sized Murphy bed.

“Cozy,” Ray said, plunking down his bags.

Meg had never been alone with Ray before, and she suddenly felt awkward. To hide this from him, she quickly and coolly stated, “The couch looks comfortable. You should sleep well there.”

“Me?”

“Of course. Perhaps there are extra blankets in the wardrobe.”

She put her own bags on the bed and sauntered across the room. She was momentarily distracted as she glimpsed into a doorway in the alcove that she thought led to another closet. Instead, she saw a tiny eat-in kitchen.

Meg glanced inside the wardrobe, which was filled with all manner of things. There were extra blankets and pillows, but there were also shelves of relationship books, candles and matches, massage oils, various bath products, games—both family orientated and those purely for adults, more than one pack of cards, and...Oh! Flames washed over Meg's face and she quickly closed the wardrobe doors. She and Ray would definitely not be using _those_.

“How come you get the bed?” Ray asked, coming up behind her.

She felt flustered as she wondered if he had seen the shelf filled with condoms and all manner of adult playthings. Her blush deepened, but she kept her tone even and slightly sarcastic as she answered.

“Because I called it?”

She turned to look at him and saw that he had a large envelope in his hands. She forgot about her embarrassment and regarded him questioningly.

“I found this on the coffee table. I think it's the welcome thing.”

Meg reached out and took it from his hand. Opening the flap, she found an introduction letter, lists of available activities, instructions, and a schedule.

“I suggest we go over our profiles again tonight before we sleep,” she told him.

“Why's that?”

She handed the papers back to him. “We have therapy at nine tomorrow morning.”

Ray scowled, his good mood draining from his face. “I hate shrinks.”

“Have lots of experience with them, do you?” As soon as this was out of her mouth, she knew it was unfair.

“Wouldn't you like to know?” He sounded almost hostile.

“No, actually, I wouldn't.” She stepped away from him. “What I would like is to unpack and maybe have a quick shower before we go down to face that group of people and try to convince them that I'm madly in love with you. You may do as you like.”

She turned her back on him and started taking things out of her suitcase. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him wander into the kitchen.

“Want some coffee?” he called out to her.

“No, thank you,” she said primly, surprised at the offer.

She almost changed her mind a few minutes later when the smell of perking coffee floated to her nose. Instead, she grabbed some clean clothes and headed for the bathroom. A shower was jut the thing she needed to clear her head and prepare to meet the people she'd be lying to for the next three months.

XXX

Ray was feeling slightly nervous later as he and Meg approached the sitting room where the meet and greet was taking place. He glanced at Meg out of the corner of his eye. Her face was calm and serene but rather emotionless. She had chosen to wear another business suit, this one brown, and it made her look very prim and proper. Ladylike too, but Ray had always liked that about her.

“Ready, sweetheart?” he asked, lifting an eyebrow.

“Whenever you are, sweetie.” Her voice was laced with sarcasm and soft enough that it wouldn't carry any further than his ears.

Ray grinned at her and slid his arm around her waist, drawing her close. He felt her stiffen in response. After almost a full second, she relaxed slightly and put her own arm around him.

Ray was surprised to find that their bodies fit well together. He had expected her to be hard and bony, harsh like her personality. Instead, she was soft curves and warmth. And she smelled terrific. He wondered idly if it was the result of the resort's shampoo and body wash or if the Inspector had always smelled like that and he hadn't noticed.

He opened the door to find most of the others already there. The faces, he recognized, but the names eluded him.

The people were in groups, talking quietly. Some of them had glasses in their hands. Along one wall was a large buffet and one of the men—tall, with a large nose and long, curly hair—was stuffing himself with obvious delight.

As they came in, the Fossens came over. Both of them were beaming, and Ray couldn't tell if their smiles were real or very good fakes.

“You must be Mr. and Mrs. Thatcher.” Mrs. Fossen held out her hand, so Ray took it in his free one.

“That's us.”

“Meg and Ray,” Meg said pleasantly, holding out her own free hand to Mr. Fossen. “We've been looking forward to this experience.”

“Well, she has.” Ray slipped into character. “I can't see how this stuff can make us love each other more.”

On impulse, he turned his head slightly and kissed Meg's temple. He liked the taste of her skin; it was soft and sweet.

No hint of reaction went over her face, but her arm tightened for an instant. “He's willing to give it a try for me.”

“I assure you,” Mr. Fossen told them. “Our methods work. It's all about finding balance in your life, and finding inside yourself the love you have for each other. Learning how to hold on to that forever is our goal.”

“But that's enough about that for tonight,” his wife added. “For now, focus on getting to know your fellow guests.”

“Thank you,” Meg said, and steered Ray away and towards the food.

When all ten couples were in the room, the Fossens got them to introduce themselves. Ray studied each couple as they spoke, remembering little tidbits he had read about them. Susie and Jake Adair owned some sort of wilderness business in Canada; Harrison and Alex Mills were the almost clichéd rich heir and working class hook up, as mismatched as Ray and Meg both were and were pretending to be; Lavender and Jasper Balfour, so young they looked like children, had met in junior high; Eric and MariAnna Dever, a mixed race couple that were like fire and ice, both loved and hated each other; Michael and Ryanne Parker owned a toy store in Maine; Casey and Stuart Duncan were college students who met and married in Vegas; Lauren and Mark Rodgers's marriage had splintered when they tried unsuccessfully to have a baby; Tess and Connor Rose had actually won their stay from a women's magazine. And then there was Juliet and Steven McKnight, the pair Ray and Meg were there to watch. Ray studied them carefully. McKnight was a small, pleasant looking man with a boyish face and smile. Roguish dimples disguised all hints of the pain and misery he had caused. His wife was a tiny, very pretty Asian—or half Asian, as her bio said—woman who clung to him as he doted on her.

Throughout the introductions, Ray kept a firm hold on the Ice Queen—Meg, he corrected himself again. He wondered what she was thinking. Was her quick mind already sifting through her observations and saving them for later? It occurred to him suddenly that he should actually be glad to have her on this assignment with him. Despite their differences, the Inspector—Meg—was scary smart, logical, and observant. She was also very pretty, and kissing her and holding her wouldn't be too much of a chore.

After the introductions, the guests were encouraged to mingle. By unspoken agreement, Ray and Meg stepped away from each other to wander the room.

Over the next hour, Ray talked to every one of the other guests, sometimes with Meg and sometimes alone, starting to get to know them as people and not just names and faces on a page. 

At 4:30, the Fossens dismissed everyone, telling them that dinner would be served at seven, and they were free to do as they wished until then. Ray decided he wanted a shower. The Ice Queen—Meg—had had one, and she smelled great. He—on the other hand—probably smelled like a man who had spent twelve hours on a plane.

Everyone headed for the doors. Mark Rodgers, the man with the large nose, still had a plate full of food. He hadn't stopped eating during the whole meet and greet. Ray had been too busy mingling to eat, and he wondered if Mark would object if he snagged a sandwich when they passed each other.

“Come on, sweetie,” a very sexy voice said, just as a small hand slipped into his. “Let's go have a nap before dinner. I'm feeling a little jet lagged.”

Startled, Ray stopped and looked at the woman at his side. It was the Inspector, and there was a welcoming half smile on her face. Ray had never heard her voice sound so warm and inviting, and he almost hadn't recognized it.

She raised an eyebrow at him, and the smile turned slightly amused.

“A nap sounds like greatness,” he answered, trying to cover his surprise.

As they walked hand-in-hand in silence back to their room, Ray was still trying to reconcile himself with the fact that Meg didn't feel like an ice queen when he touched her.

XXX

They spent their time between the meet and greet and dinner mostly talking about first impressions of their fellow guests and the Fossens. Taking out their files, they made notes. Ray was amazed that they managed to have this conversation without once sniping at each other. It was pretty much a miracle because he really was jet lagged and Meg had dark circles under her eyes that said she probably was too.

Dinner was pretty uneventful, and they didn't get much chance to talk to the other couples. Afterwards, they wandered the resort, familiarizing themselves with the layout.

By the time they got back to their suite, it was after ten o'clock, and Ray was exhausted.

He closed the door firmly behind him and said, “I don't know about you, but I'm so tired I could die.”

“We have to read our profiles over again before we go to bed.”

Ray frowned. “Can't we do that in the morning?”

Meg crossed her arms and looked at him levelly, her expression pure Inspector Thatcher. Ray just stared back at her, which was hard because his tired eyes wanted to blink rapidly. After a moment, to his surprise, her stance softened a bit and she sighed.

“Yes, I suppose looking at them with fresh eyes would be best.”

Now, Ray did blink. The Ice Queen never admitted defeat. She must be as exhausted as he was. 

He didn't let his thoughts show. “I was hoping you would say that.”

She nodded but didn't speak. Suddenly, Ray was very aware that the two of them were alone in a room they would have to share with each other for three months. He knew almost nothing about this woman, though he'd known her almost a year. To him, she was the Ice Queen, Fraser's boss. He knew she was smart and logical and cold. He knew she was sarcastic and had a bit of a temper. He knew she had great legs, a shapely body, and remarkably fair skin. All of these things were on the surface, and she had always been too remote to find out anything more. Learning about each other was going to be awkward. 

The same awareness went through Meg's eyes, and for the first time he could remember she looked uncertain. He saw her throat work as she swallowed.

“So,” he said, trying to ease the sudden tension, “here we are.”

“Yes,” she agreed crisply, straightening her spine. “I would like to use the bathroom first, if you don't mind.”

“Nah, you go ahead, Inspector. I'll get the couch ready.”

“Meg,” she corrected.

“Huh?”

“Call me Meg. I'm not the Inspector here, and if you use the term in private, you may mistakenly say it out there.”

“Oh, yeah. Sorry. Meg.”

She inclined her head briefly before going to the dresser. Ray passed her to dig in the huge wardrobe in the alcove.

“I looked in the fridge,” he said conversationally. “All it has is whipped cream, chocolate syrup, and milk.”

“Everything you need for a sensual dining experience.”

“What?” He stopped and turned to look at her.

“Nothing. I won't be long,” she said quickly, disappearing into the bathroom.

Ray got distracted by the contents of the wardrobe while he was getting his bedding but he was still done making up the couch by the time the bathroom door opened. He turned to speak to the Inspector and forgot what he was going to say.

Ray had never thought of flannel pajamas as attractive. His ex-wife had scorned them—Stella preferred silk and lace—and she had been his sexy meter for most of his adult life. Because of this, he was blindsided by his reaction when Inspector Thatcher came out of the bathroom. Something about the way the flannel hugged her curves and transformed the aloof, unreachable Inspector into a touchable, beautiful woman hit him right in his libido. Her hair was mussed and the two top buttons in the blue plaid shirt were undone, showing creamy skin.

“All yours,” she said. 

“Huh?”

“The bathroom. Feel free to change.”

“Oh. Yeah. Thanks.” He barely got out the words as he went to rummage through his own clothes for underwear and pajama bottoms. He hadn't been able to grab a shower earlier, and now would be a great time for a long one.


	3. Chapter 3

Meg lay there in the dark listening to Ray breathe. She had been lying in bed for over two hours and, even though she was exhausted, she couldn't sleep. This whole thing was uncomfortable and awkward. Already, she had been touched more in one day than she had been for months. Ray had thrown himself into the role of her newlywed husband, and he seemed to enjoy putting her off balance by hugging her and holding her hand. Not that she had disliked it, exactly. Still, she was sure she hid her discomfort well, and she was determined to give Ray as good as she got. She refused to be the only one feeling out of her depth. 

How could Ray sleep so deeply? His breathing was even and steady, and you'd think he spent every night sleeping mere feet from someone he'd known for months but had never really talked to. Meg had always thought of him as Fraser's annoying detective friend, good looking and quite attractive, if a little scruffy. Kind of sweet in an irritating way.

She hadn't been prepared for the tingle when their skin touched. Meg frowned in the darkness. How was she supposed to pretend infatuation and still keep her distance when there were tingles? Her body's reaction surprised her, but she supposed she could use it to her own advantage.

She was not used to sleeping with another person in the room. Again, her thoughts went to him being so close. The room seemed smaller when the two of them were in it together. Words came reluctantly. What were they going to say to each other? They were so different. She was reserved and he was emotional. She thought before speaking and he blurted the first thing that came to his head. She was ice and he was fire. Their assignment wouldn't be taking up all of their time. How would they deal with being alone together?

Seeing each other in their pajamas had been the most awkward moment so far. She had chosen flannel because it was the least suggestive material she could think of, but she had still felt as exposed as she would have in her underwear. Ray had also worn flannel, but just the bottoms, which rode low on his hips—almost too low to be decent (not that she had noticed.) His chest was not muscular, but it wasn't exactly scrawny either. Wiry muscles moved under his skin, muscles built by hard work and not in a gym, and she had seen a faint scar on his shoulder that looked as if it might have been an old bullet wound. He even had a tattoo.

Meg fiercely blocked these thoughts, angry that she could still recall such details. After all, this was Ray Kowalski she was sharing this assignment with. A man who shouted at her and had no respect for her position. A man who probably hated her, and a man that she had overheard saying harsh and brutal things about her behind her back.

As far as she could see, she'd be lucky if she survived the next three months.

Despite her gloomy thoughts, she finally felt herself starting to relax. Ray's breathing became soothing rather than jarring, and the next thing Meg knew, it was morning.

XXX

Ray woke to the smell of brewing coffee. The scent was thick in the air, and it brought him out of a crazy dream about chasing a man who had kidnapped Frannie and Inspector Thatcher. The dream was more comedy than thriller, with the women tormenting their kidnapper until he was begging Ray to take them back.

Ray's eyes popped open, and he quickly realized he was not in his own bed. The events of the day before came back to him quickly, and he groaned and blinked.

Slowly, he sat up to see Meg coming out of the kitchen with two mugs in her hand. She was still in her plaid pajamas, but her face was serious and businesslike.

“Good morning,” she said. “A little milk and lots of sugar, right?”

“Yeah.” Ray was still too asleep to form more of an answer than that. He ran a tired hand over his face as she sat one of the mugs down in front of him.

“Don't get used to this.” She indicated his coffee. “I'm nobody's servant girl. Still, I figured we'd both need it this morning.”

“Yeah,” he repeated. “Thanks.”

She nodded sharply before going to the dresser. The night before, she had hidden the files under their underwear, where the maids couldn't find them. She put her mug on top of the dresser and flipped through the folders.

“We've got about two hours before our therapy session. We should look over our facts.”

Ray tried to kick his brain into gear. “Private or group?”

Meg already had the file open and was reading, her mug in her hand. Ray was willing to bet she had already committed every word to memory. “Private.”

“Okay. We can do this.”

She walked to the couch absently and took a seat beside him. She placed the folder open on the coffee table.

“So, we're from Alberta,” she said, which Ray remembered.

“And we met at a mutual friend's party,” he added. “The first thing I noticed about you was your smile...Isn't that kind of dorky?”

“What do you mean?”

“The first thing I usually notice about a woman is...”

Meg raised her eyebrows. “Her chest?”

“No, it's usually...Never mind.”

“What's wrong with my smile?”

“Nothing.” From what he could remember, she actually had a great smile, but she didn't do it very often.

She frowned and studied his face. “Do you want to change it?”

“No, it's okay.”

“If you don't think it's believable...”

“It's fine.”

“Ray...”

“I love your smile. It's greatness. What's next?”

She looked annoyed, but continued, “The first thing I noticed were your bluejeans. Apparently, you were dressed inappropriately.”

“Or you liked my ass.”

“I beg your pardon?”

She sounded so affronted that he had to grin. “Just sayin'.”

Ignoring this, she said, “Here's the sheet on our families. There's a lot of information here. Do you remember it?”

“Some.” He took the sheet from her fingers. “So, what do we do if we're asked somethin' not in the folder. Improvise?”

“Yes, but we'll have to note it in the file so we don't forget. We can't contradict ourselves.”

“Right.”

“After the therapy session, we've been scheduled for board games with the Balfours and the Adairs before lunch.”

“Board games?” Ray dropped the sheet to stare at her.

“That's what it says on the schedule. Do you like board games, Ray?” 

He shrugged. “It doesn't matter, does it?”

“I guess not, but it may be something we need to know about each other.”

“Do you think we'll need to know real stuff?”

“I think the more we stick to the truth, the easier it will be to maintain our cover.”

“Hmn. Maybe. What about you, Insp...um...Meg? Do you like board games?”

She bit her lip and looked thoughtful, softening her face. After a moment, she said, “I do. I tend to be a little competitive. My sister always hated playing with me. She's such a good loser...and a good winner. She never really cared how the game ended. It was fun to her either way.”

“You have a sister?”

“I do.” Her face closed off again. “But Megan Thatcher doesn't, so it doesn't matter.”

“Right.” Ray's attention went back to the file. “Are you sure I'm supposed to remember all this stuff?”

XXX

Ray held her hand all the way to their appointment. It felt strange. Not in a weird, unpleasant kind of way. Just...different. For one thing, it had been awhile since someone had held her hand. Not counting the night before, it had been years. Most of the men she'd been involved with in her recent relationships—and there hadn't been many—hadn't been the hand holding types. For another, it was Ray Kowalski whose fingers were intimately threaded through hers.

The feel of his skin against hers was quite pleasant. His fingers were long and slightly calloused, his palm warm. Though Ray was slightly on the small side, his hand was large. She just wished she wasn't so _aware_ of it.

“Dr. Shawn Burton,” Ray commented, breaking her out of her thoughts. “This is it. You ready?”

She gave him her best scornful look while trying to quiet the wild thumping of her heart. If anyone would be able to tell their marriage was a sham, it would be their therapist.

He frowned at her but just said, “Okay, then.”

Going through the door, Meg found herself in a large, mahogany filled office. The walls were dark green and the couch was a deep maroon color that went well with the wood.

A man sat behind the large desk. He was slight but handsome, probably in his early forties. His dark hair was perfectly in place, and his expensive gray suit was sharply pressed. Round glasses covered serious eyes that regarded Meg and Ray passively.

“You must be the Thatchers.”

“Meg and Ray,” Meg answered before Ray could, trying to keep the nerves out of her voice. 

The therapist nodded. “Please have a seat.”

Ray kept hold of her hand even as the two of them settled on the long couch. His thumb absently caressed her, and she didn't even know if he was aware he was doing it. Warmth spread out from the contact, up her arm and throughout her body.

Meg forced herself to ignore it as she asked, “What are we to expect from these sessions, Doctor?”

“Communication, Mrs. Thatcher. I intend to teach you how to effectively communicate. I see from your profile that you are newlyweds, and therefore you might not even realize yet that you have carefully constructed communication blocks in place.”

“I see.”

“I don't,” Ray said. “We talk all the time. I tell her everything.”

“Really?” Dr. Burton raised his eyebrows.

“Yeah.”

“Then, this part of the retreat should be easy for you. Now, before we get started, please tell me a little bit about yourselves.”

Meg glanced at Ray. When he didn't answer, she asked, “As a couple or as individuals?”

“However you like.” He made a notation on his pad, making her frown.

“We met at a party,” Ray said. “She was the most beautiful thing I ever saw. Her smile lit up the room, and her legs went on forever.”

Ah, Meg thought. It was legs he noticed first. She faked a smile. “And I liked the way he filled his jeans.”

Ray squeezed her hand in approval, and she had to fight not to throw him a glare.

“He came over to talk to me,” Meg added, improvising. “At first, I thought he was a bit of a jerk, but I couldn't deny the attraction.”

This time, she was sure the squeeze was from annoyance.

“It was because I couldn't keep my eyes off her legs.” Ray's voice sounded a little tight. He looked down pointedly, and Meg felt suddenly self-conscious. With the possibility of going outside of the nicely air conditioned resort that afternoon, she had chosen to wear shorts that revealed a fair amount of thigh and a form fitting yellow t-shirt. 

“And then he made me laugh,” Meg forced herself to continue, “and that was it. Love at first joke.”

“That was less than a year ago,” Ray added, “and here we are wedded and bedded and crazy about each other.”

Meg wasn't sure she approved of his choice of words. “We've been married three months. It's been wonderful.”

“Besides looks, name something you like about each other.”

Meg glanced at Ray and met his gaze. She felt a moment of panic, wondering what she was going to say. Neither of them spoke, so Dr. Burton cleared his throat.

“She's solid,” Ray blurted.

“Solid?” Meg asked incredulously.

He nodded, not looking at her. “Yeah. Solid's good. Solid's greatness.”

“Explain to Meg what you mean by solid,” the therapist encouraged.

“You can't move solid. It's strong. Indestructible. No matter what's thrown at it, it stands.”

“So, what you're saying is that you're attracted to Meg's ability to stand up to life's challenges.”

Ray shrugged. “Yeah. Sure.”

“Meg?”

She studied Ray, wondering if his answer were truth or fiction. What could she say about him? Being honest made it easier to remember, so she went over the things about him that she actually liked and that didn't annoy her.

“Ray can be very kind.” She had seen this in him, though the kindness had never been directed at her. The Ice Queen got sarcasm; the Ice Queen got anger; the Ice Queen got hurtful things grumbled behind her back.

“Kind?” His expression was puzzled.

“Yes. I like your kindness.”

“I want you to remember this,” Burton said. “And remember to sometimes tell each other these things. 'I love how strong you are'; 'I love your kindness'; 'I love the way you say my name'. Little reminders of the depth of your feelings strengthen your bonds.” He let this sink in before adding, “How often do you say, 'I love you'?”

“What?” Meg was startled into blurting.

“'I love you', Mrs. Thatcher.”

“Um...”

“Every day,” Ray spoke over her. “We say it at least once a day. Because we do. Love each other.”

The therapist nodded. “Good. Continue to do so. Show it every day, and say it as well. Now, is there anything the two of you would like to talk about?”

“Like what?”

“Anything. Anything that troubles you. Anything that pleases you. Anything you want to talk about that you've been reluctant to bring up.”

“Nope.”

Burton frowned and made another notation on the pad. Meg searched her mind for something to say, afraid that silence would make the therapist suspicious.

“Sometimes I'm afraid we're too different,” she said into the silence.

“Too different?” Burton asked mildly.

“Yes. I'm very disciplined and reserved. Ray is...um...”

“I'm what?” She suddenly had his undivided attention.

“Not. He's very volatile.” She felt her cheeks heat as he stared at her.

“Volatile? What does that mean?” His hand slipped from hers.

“Do you agree that the two of you are very different, Ray?” Burton prodded.

“Well, sometimes I'd like to loosen her up a little.”

She raised her eyebrows. “Loosen me up?”

“You find her rigid?”

“Rigid?” His eyes widened. “Uh...no...No, of course not. She's perfect. It's just sometimes she tries too hard to be, what did she say, disciplined.”

She couldn't really argue with him and it irritated her. “I just like to think before I act, Ray.”

“I know, and I don't. We _are_ very different. Maybe she likes to...”

“Speak to her, Ray,” the therapist interrupted.

Ray looked at her, though their eyes didn't quite meet. “Maybe the reason you like to think things over is because you're so smart. I like actin' on instinct.”

“I like your instincts, Ray,” she said honestly. In fact, she wished she trusted herself as much as he did.

His eyes lifted. “You do?”

“Yes, and I don't think relying on your instincts means that you're not smart.” She had seen him in action before. Emotion sometimes clouded his judgment, and he might not be able to memorize facts so that he was a walking encyclopedia like Fraser, but he wasn't stupid. Getting back into character, she added, “Maybe that's why we work so well. Our differences compliment each other.”

“I think this is a very good place to end our first session. Great sharing, guys. I'll see you the day after tomorrow. In the meantime, I want you each to think of a list of words you'd use to describe the other. Don't talk about them, and we'll share on Wednesday.”

Meg stood with relief. They had passed their first test, and after this board games should be a breeze.


	4. Chapter 4

Meg had been slightly nervous about their morning board game session, mostly because she wasn't all that comfortable with strangers. It was a quality she had been able to hide on a professional level because she had never been one to let her character flaws get in the way of her duty, but on a personal level, it had always been quite different. Still, the two hours had been surprisingly pleasant. The Balfours were very young and quite sweet, and Susie Adair was a smiling, friendly woman that would make anyone feel at home. Her gregarious nature had Meg smiling with her almost against her will. On the other hand, Susie's husband was sullen and quiet, but he loosened up some as the games progressed.

Even Ray had been agreeable. Actually, he had been more than agreeable, Meg had to admit to herself. He had charmed the pants off of gentle Lavender Balfour, and he had traded jokes with Susie Adair that had them all laughing. He was even responsible for cracking the standoffish mood of Jake Adair by starting a conversation about cars, of all things. Meg had been impressed with his people skills, which before then she had considered rather loutish.

When the games were done, Meg and Ray got lunch at the cafeteria (the island had both it and a restaurant, to cater to any kind of mood) and took the food back to their room to discuss their strategy.

They seated themselves at the kitchen table and took out their sandwiches and drinks. The table was just big enough for two and designed to feel intimate. There was even a small candle holder in the middle for candlelit dinners.

“So,” Ray said, unwrapping his BLT, “we've got the afternoon free. What should we do?”

Meg had been taking a sip of her orange juice so she swallowed and replied, “I heard the McKnights are going swimming this afternoon. I think we should join them.”

Ray grimaced. “I don't really swim.”

“We don't have to compete in the Olympics, Detec...” Irritation made her almost commit the error she had chided him for the night before. She cleared her throat. “Uh...Ray. All we have to do is play in the waves a little or lie on the beach.”

“I'm not big on that either.”

“It doesn't matter what we want or like. Has anything we've done so far been about that? We're not holding hands or gazing lovingly at each other because we want to. This is about the McKnights.” Meg's face colored slightly, but she kept her voice firm.

“Yeah. All right. We'll swim.”

She continued to look at him sternly, but he had dropped his eyes to his lunch.

“We also need to get a copy of the McKnights' schedule.”

Ray chewed and swallowed before asking, “And how do we do that?”

Meg frowned. “Well, the only two places I know we'd find a copy are the office and Steven McKnight's room.”

“What are you thinking?”

“We were going to have to search the room eventually anyway, and the office probably has better security.”

“Let me get this straight. You want to break into a criminal's room—a criminal who enjoys shooting people in the head—and steal a piece of paper?”

“We need a copy of their whole folder.”

“Are you nuts?

“Is there a problem?”

“Yeah, there's a problem. I want to live long enough to get my life back, and it ain't gonna happen if I piss off someone like McKnight.”

Meg put down both her sandwich and her orange juice and folded her hands on the table. “We have to know if McKnight is hiding anything significant in his room, Ray.”

“What if we get caught?”

“It's a chance we'll have to take.”

He ran a hand through is wild hair, making it stick up more. “I suppose you're right.”

“We'll search the room, swipe the folder, copy it, then put it back”

“Copy it where?”

“There's a copier near the phones, Ray.” She gave him a stern look. Didn't he notice anything?

“Oh. Yeah.”

“And the McKnight's room has to be less guarded than the office. We'll have to risk him finding the folder missing.”

“Why don't we take the folder today, while they're swimmin'?”

“Susie mentioned that she and Jake are scheduled to go horseback riding with the McKnights tomorrow afternoon. We'll have more time.”

He frowned. “I guess that's it then.”

“Why are you irritated?” She could hear it in his voice.

“I'm not.”

“I've heard that tone before.”

“You're imaginin' things.”

“What did I do wrong?”

“Nothin'.” His expression implied otherwise.

“If we're going to be co-existing here and working on the same case, we need to be honest with each other.”

His eyes flickered over her face, and he seemed to be gathering his thoughts before he said, “This isn't Chicago.”

“I'm well aware of that.”

“Are you? Cause it doesn't seem like it.”

She was becoming more baffled by the second. “I don't understand.”

“You're not my boss. You're my partner. We need to talk about things.”

“I thought that's what we were doing.”

“Only after you decided exactly what you thought we should do. I'm not Fraser, and we're not in Canada.”

“Well, that's obvious,” she snapped, suddenly more than a little annoyed. In fact, she bordered on angry. “Constable Fraser doesn't question my decisions.”

“They should be _our_ decisions. I'm only doin' this because it makes sense, not because you told me I have to.”

“Fine!” She threw up her hands in exasperation, but a part of her knew he was right. Meg had been the boss for so long, it was hard for her to remember that she was now part of a team. “Let's just eat our lunch.”

“Then go for a swim,” he said glumly.

“Yes, and then we'll swim.”

XXX

As Ray made his way down the wooden steps towards the beach, he searched the sand for the McKnights. He purposefully avoided glancing at the woman at his side, whose small hand fit so comfortably in his.

Meg had been unsettling him all day, and it hadn't just been her habit of treating him like an underling. It was her physical presence that had him reeling. First, he had to deal with the flannel, which had created a blend of businesslike decorum and sleepy touchability that was surprisingly sexy, and then she had dressed. Gone was the power suit and sensible shoes. Meg had left the bathroom wearing a form hugging t-shirt and very short shorts. Before her pajamas, the closest he'd seen her to casual was when she removed her blazer. Confronted with shapely bare legs and pronounced curves, he had been shocked, and it wasn't just because he wasn't used to her looking like a real person.

Now, she was dressed in a simple red one piece bathing suit. It wasn't the sheer nothing of the teeny pieces of fabric he could see Casey Duncan prancing around in, but it wasn't a flour sack, either. The back was virtually nonexistent, and there was a crisscrossing lattice design in the front that exposed a lot of her middle. He could see her belly button! He didn't know why that bothered him, but it did.

“Do you see them?” she asked, her voice pitched low.

“Huh?”

“Steven and Juliet.”

He scanned the beach again. “Yeah. Over there.”

“Good, let's go sit near them.”

“Do you want me to carry the bag for awhile?” He did glance at her then. The slender hand that wasn't tucked in his held a beach bag with their towels, their sunscreen, a couple of books, and some snacks. Ray looked into Meg's eyes, refusing to notice the pale slope of her shoulder or the low neckline of her suit.

She met his gaze scornfully. “I'm fine, Ray.”

“Hey,” he chided softly. “That's not a loving look.”

Immediately, her brow smoothed and she looked away.

Feeling pleased with her reaction, Ray led her down the last few steps to the sand. It was a blinding white, and the water was a brilliant blue.

“You don't get views like this in Chicago,” he commented.

“No,” she answered absently, not even pausing to look as she headed towards her goal.

“Hey!” someone called.

Ray stopped and tugged at Meg's hand. Together, they turned to see Alex Mills—a knockout with a long, lithe body and killer cheekbones—waving at them. She and her husband were gathered around a volleyball net with Lauren and Mark Rodgers and Connor and Tess Rose. 

“Hey,” Ray said back.

“Wanna play?”

“Nah, we're good.”

“We'll play,” Casey said, approaching with her husband. Ray made a serious effort not to look at what wasn't there of her suit.

“Sure,” Alex told her, then added to Meg and Ray, “See you later.”

“Thanks for inviting us,” Meg said politely before giving Ray an impatient look.

The McKnights were lying on their towels, quietly soaking up the sun. They looked up as Ray and Meg approached.

“Hello,” Meg said, some of her Liaison friendliness in her voice. “Juliet and Steven, right? Can you believe this sun?”

Steven McKnight just inclined his head, but his wife sat up and grinned. “Hello...um...Richard and Kate?”

Ray grinned at her, unwilling to let the Ice Queen outdo him in friendliness. “Ray and Meg.”

“Yeah. Right. That's a gorgeous suit.” This she said to Meg.

Meg looked down at herself in surprise. “Thank you.”

“I told you it was sexy,” Ray said glibly, trying to hide his discomfort at having his focus return to all of the skin the suit showed. 

“Yes...well...I...” she stammered, flushing. Ray couldn't help but notice that the flush traveled down her chest out of sight and even to the pieces of belly he could see. Apparently, when she blushed, she blushed everywhere.

“My wife doesn't do well with compliments,” Ray quickly stated into the silence. “Mind if we sit near you? We don't want to get in the way of the game.”

“Knock yourself out,” Steven said. He looked friendly enough, and Ray wondered if this could really be the right Steven McKnight. He had a baby face and guileless blue eyes.

“Thank you.” Meg said, finding her voice.

They laid out their towels about ten feet away from the couple they were watching and sat down. Meg dug into her big bag and brought out a book—some kind of thriller, it looked like—and two bottles of sunscreen. She handed one to Ray and flicked the top open on her own.

“SPF 60?” he asked, reading his bottle. “Don't you want to tan? Most girls like that.”

She squirted some on her hand and began rubbing it over her shoulder. “Look at me, Ray. I don't tan. I burn. Then, I turn white and burn again.”

He studied her creamy skin as her hand went from her shoulder to her throat and chest When he realized he was staring, he snapped his eyes back up to her face.

“I...uh...I burn too, but I usually get a bit of a tan afterwards.”

“Put on your sunscreen. You 'll work better if you're not in pain.”

Her bossy tone made him forget those slim fingers gliding over her skin, and he grunted and started rubbing the stuff over his chest.

They coated themselves in silence, more because they had nothing to say than because they were listening to their neighbors. 

A very soft curse brought Ray's attention back to Meg. He asked his question with his eyes, and a tiny frown crossed her face. 

Her voice showed none of her displeasure as she said, “Can you do my back, sweetie?”

Ray stopped rubbing his leg and stiffened. Her hand had become familiar to him in the past twenty-four hours, but her back was foreign territory. 

“Uh...Yeah. Sure.”

She shot him a look that could have meant anything before turning to face the ocean. Ray scooted closer and studied the exposed skin. It was smooth and so white it was almost translucent. Slowly, he coated his hands with lotion. Even before he touched her, he could tell how tense she was.

“Relax,” he said quietly. “It's only sunscreen.”

Her body remained rigid as he reached out and gently touched her with his fingertips. Ray swallowed in discomfort. Her skin was softer than silk.

He straightened his hands until his palms were flat against her. Trying not to think too much, he moved them firmly over her shoulder blades and down. She relaxed beneath him as his fingers dipped into the curve of her spine. Quickly, he glided down her ribs. Then, it was over and he was both relieved and disappointed.

“All done, sweetheart. Will you do mine?”

“Of course.”

Ray turned before she did so he wouldn't have to look into her face. He heard the bottle make a gasping sound and then he felt her hands on his skin. They were firm but gentle, and his breath caught at how sensual the caress felt.

“You missed the back of your neck,” she said, her breath whispering across his flesh. “This sun is wicked, Ray. You have to be careful.”

Her fingers reached up to get the place he missed, and they tickled a little.

She was silent as her hands traveled down his back, thoroughly coating every inch of skin. The warmth of her touch felt so intimate that it seemed almost wrong for it to be in sight of the other couples on the beach.

Way too soon, her hands disappeared, and he heard the top snap back on the bottle.

“Finished?” he asked.

“All protected.”

He felt her shift away from him. To avoid thinking about what had just happened, he said, “Did you bring the pop?”

“Of course, I did.” She reached into the giant bag and brought out a tiny cooler. It was just big enough for two cans of pop, two sandwiches, and—Ray had been excited when he discovered they were a lot easier to get on the island than they were in Chicago—two boxes of chocolate Smarties.

As Ray took out his pop, he watched Meg from the corner of his eye. She took out a big, fluffy pillow and lay down on her towel with her book in her hand.

Ray folded his legs and sipped his drink, watching the ocean and listening to the couple next to them. He didn't expect to hear them talking about offing someone or anything, but there was no telling what a person might say when they were relaxed. Mostly, he heard Juliet chattering about the awesome weather. Her husband grunted an answer occasionally but was mostly silent.

Every once in awhile, Ray glanced at Meg, but she seemed completely absorbed in her book. Boring. 

The sun was beating down on him, and the thought of going into the ocean was starting to be appealing. He thought he might even give the old “bloom” and “close” a try.

XXX

Absorbed in her book, Meg lost track of time. When she looked up, the McKnights were curled up on their towels, caressing each other and whispering. Beside her, Ray appeared to have fallen asleep with his can of Pepsi in his hand.

The sun was so hot that Meg felt overheated and cross. She put her book on the sand and sat up, opening the cooler to get out a pop for herself. If there hadn't been people around, she might even have trailed the can over her skin for some relief.

She reached over and plucked the can from Ray's hand and set it down where it wouldn't soak his towel if it spilled.

“What are you doing?” he growled lowly.

“Oh! I thought you were asleep.”

He blinked up at her, and Meg realized she was leaning over him. Quickly, she straightened and turned her attention to opening her can.

“I was just resting my eyes. It's so hot.”

“We should have brought a parasol,” she agreed, taking a delicate sip. “Why don't you go for a dip?”

“I might in a minute.”

This surprised her since he had been so against it in their room. Maybe the heat was getting to him as much as it was to her.

“The water looks nice.” She leaned in, pretending to kiss his cheek, and whispered, “Did you hear anything?”

“Nothing but idle chatter and sweet talk,” he whispered back. “You?”

“No. I think I'm going to try to befriend Juliet this week. She seems friendly enough.”

“Good idea.”

She straightened as a scream rent the air. Reaction had her jumping to her feet, heart pounding. She had been behind a desk for four years, but she still found herself reaching for her gun.

Ray had jumped up behind her, his body hiding hers from the McKnights. She felt a brief flash of gratitude that melted into horrified amusement as she saw Mark Rodgers running into the surf with his wife flung over his shoulder. Her scream had been a protest, and she was struggling but she was also laughing.

“What's going on?” Steven McKnight asked, disengaging from his wife.

There was a splash and it answered him better than Meg could have. She watched as Lauren came to her feet spluttering and Mark danced away from her.

“I can't believe he did that.”

Ray glanced at her and grinned. “That's one way to get cool.”

“I can think of better ways than being carried by a Neanderthal and dunked.”

“It looked fun.”

She raised an eyebrow at him. “Fun?”

“Yeah.”

“I don't see how that could be considered fun.”

“Really? Maybe we should find out.”

“What do you...” Her voice gave way to a squeak as she was swept up in Ray's arms. The detective was stronger than he looked, and he seemed to bear her weight easily.

“Put me down, Ray,” she demanded.

His expression was amused as he tightened his hold on her. Meg refused to squirm as Lauren had done, and tried to hold onto as much of her dignity as she could. She gave him her sternest glare, but he only smiled in response.

There was too much skin touching for her to keep the cool look on her face. One arm touched her back, and the other was looped under her bare knees. Her face heated as she became aware of the contact, and she turned it towards his chest, away from view.

“I'm gonna to take you over there and drop you in the water, Meg. What do you think of that?”

“You wouldn't dare.” Just a couple of weeks ago, he wouldn't have even dared to touch her.

“I wouldn't?”

“No.”

“That's where you're wrong, sweetheart, and you're gonna enjoy it.”

“No, I'm not.”

“Are you gonna wiggle free?”

“I might.”

“Do you think you can?”

“Yes.”

Her cheek was now resting against him. His skin was warm from the sun and slightly greasy from the lotion.

“Is this some weird kind of foreplay?” The voice behind them made Meg stiffen.

“Nah,” Ray answered McKnight and gently lowered Meg to the ground. “I'm just teasing my wife.”

Meg felt a little disappointed as she stepped away from Ray. She knew it was foolish, but a part of her had been looking forward to playing in the water. It had been a long time since she had allowed herself to just let go and play. She wondered if she even remembered how to squirm and laugh as Lauren had done.

“Playing keeps a marriage young, ain't that right, hon?” Steven winked at Juliet. She giggled but didn't answer.

“My husband is a large child,” Meg said. “He loves to play.”

“Don't let her fool you,” Ray added. “She loves it too.”

“I like you,” Juliet announced suddenly. “You're cute. Do you want to join us for dinner tomorrow night? We've got a ride planned, but we'll be back in plenty of time. That's all right, isn't it, snuggly?”

Snuggly? Meg didn't let a hint of surprise or nausea touch her face.

Steven thought this over, then he smiled. “Sure, why not?”

Meg tried to still the butterflies in her stomach. This was going better than she could have hoped. “We'd like that, wouldn't we, Ray?”

“Yeah.” His voice gave nothing away.

Steven nodded and caught his wife around the waist. “C'mon, babe, let's have some alone time.”

The woman giggled again and waved as she and Steven headed towards the building. When they were out of earshot, Meg turned to Ray. “Would you really have thrown me in the water?”

He winked at her and started gathering up their stuff. “Wouldn't you like to know?”


	5. Chapter 5

They spent most of the evening going over the resort employees to see if any of them stood out as possible contacts for McKnight. Most of them seemed pretty unlikely, but Meg made a list of the ones they thought they should watch.

She ignored Ray's expression at her jotting down names and reasons. She supposed men who ran on instinct never wrote anything down. It was hard to keep this bit of sarcasm to herself, but she bit her tongue and kept writing.

When the talk about the employees fizzled out, they lapsed into an awkward silence. Meg gathered up the folders and put them away, delaying the moment they'd be sitting together with nothing to say to each other.

“So...uh...” Ray started and then trailed off.

“Yes?”

“Nothin'.”

“Okay.”

She studied him sitting there in his nerd glasses. They were dark and stood out starkly against his face. Her hand almost came up to touch her own reading glasses but she refrained. Ever since she had started wearing them a few years before, she had been self conscious about them. Still, it was easier to wear them with Ray since his didn't seem to bother him at all, even though he hardly ever wore them.

Glasses were at least one thing they had in common.

When he didn't say anything else, Meg asked, “Do you mind if I read? I'd like to unwind before bed.”

“Nah. Will it bother you if I watch a movie?”

“Not if it's low.”

“No problem. I'm gonna go grab a shower. All right?”

“Of course.” Meg rolled her eyes. As if she'd tell him he wasn't allowed. 

He gathered up some clean underwear and his pajama bottoms and disappeared into the bathroom. Meg wanted a shower too, but she didn't want to wait to put on her own nightclothes. Once she heard water running, she peeled out of her t-shirt and shorts. Quickly, because she didn't know how long Ray was going to be, she threw on her flannel pajamas from the night before. She didn't feel quite so naked in them this time, and she told herself the two of them were going to have to get used to seeing each other in their pajamas. 

Sighing, Meg curled up on the bed and opened _Cat and Mouse_. She had gotten about half way through when she was lying on the beach, and now she was at a very exciting part in the book.

It wasn't long after that the bathroom door opened. Meg looked up to see a freshly scrubbed Ray with his damp hair standing up in spikes. Meg's eyes roamed over him lazily, and when she realized what she was doing, she snapped them back to his face.

“Feel better?” she asked calmly, masking a surge of discomfort.

“Yep. Nothing like washing off the grit of the day.”

“That's an interesting tattoo.”

“Huh?”

“Your tattoo,” Meg said, fighting off embarrassment. Why had she brought that up?

“Oh. Thanks. I got it in high school for a dare. You got one?”

“No.”

“You should think about it.”

“Can you see me with a tattoo?”

Ray thought for a moment before saying, “Sure. On the back of your shoulder. Somethin' fierce.”

“Fierce?” Meg sat up, forgetting her book.

“Maybe a bleeding rose or a dragon or a heart with a sword through it.”

“Or maybe an ice queen?” The words slipped out.

“What?”

“Never mind.” Meg deliberately brought the book back up to block him out.

She heard him pad across the room and kneel in front of the cabinet filled with VCR tapes.

“All they've got in this place is romantic comedies and porn,” Ray commented. “Not one alien or zombie flick in sight.”

Meg looked up from her book. “What do you expect from a couples' retreat, Ray?”

“Something I can watch,” he grumbled.

Of course, he'd like weird and gory science fiction and end of the world movies. “We'll go to the library tomorrow and find something more suitable.”

He grunted, probably because he'd never been in a library in his life. Meg had been impressed when she'd stumbled into the huge room stuffed to the rafters with books, all divided by genre. There was also a section of movies and scattered chairs and couches to encourage loitering.

“Hey, here's one for you,” he continued before she could start reading again.

“One for me?”

“Yeah. _The Mountee_.”

“The Mountie?” she asked, puzzled.

A grin spread over his face, and a wicked gleam came to his eye. He tossed the videocassette he was holding in her direction and watched with what could only be called glee as she caught it.

Meg looked down at the object in her hand and felt a blush race over her face. A well-endowed young woman wearing only an unbuttoned replica of Serge smiled seductively at her from the cover. Meg dropped the tape on the bed as if it burned her.

“So, you want to watch?” Ray prodded.

She looked at him in horror, feeling even more mortified when he winked. 

Meg cleared her throat and swallowed. Finally, she managed to choke out, “This is highly inappropriate, Detective!”

“Ray.”

“I beg your pardon?” she demanded, trying to keep her eyes from landing on the naked girl on the bed.

“You're supposed to call me Ray,” he said cheerfully.

She fought the urge to throw the movie at his head. It might be satisfying but it would also prove exactly how flustered he'd made her.

“Fine. Ray. I do not appreciate your teasing or sexual humour.” She got up and brought him the offensive movie. “Put this back. I'm going to take a shower.”

His eyes were still twinkling as he took it from her. Deliberately, she turned her back on him and grabbed the clean clothes she'd put on the edge of the bed. Without another glance back, she slowly fled to the bathroom.

XXX

The schedule went one week at a time. Supposedly, the employees got together with the Fossens on Saturdays to discuss areas that needed attention so that each couple's schedule could be made. The activities directors (one for inside and one for outside) had decided to meet with the couples to find out their experiences, likes, and dislikes. Ray and Meg had their meeting Tuesday morning, and Ray found it about as exciting as watching grass grow. 

As he filled out the provided questionnaire they were given after an extensive presentation on available activities—some not even listed in their information package—he thought about a discovery he had made since his arrival on the island. Actually, it was more of an affirmation. He liked teasing Meg. In Chicago, it had been more about paying her back for being mean to Fraser, but now he was starting to enjoy the way his serious partner's face changed when he did it. Her eyes widened, and emotion usually kept in check flickered over her features. It both amused and intrigued him, and he wondered how far he could push her.

He glanced at her, and she must have felt his gaze because she turned to him. “What?”

“What did you put for number six?” he asked in a stage whisper.

A small smile touched the corner of her mouth. Loudly, she whispered back, “No cheating, Ray.”

“This isn't a test,” Sarah Lynn said in amusement. She was the exact opposite of her partner in crime, Hannah Riordan. Sarah was tall, athletic, and blond, while Hannah was short, slightly chubby, and dark. Both women were fairly young and cheerful, however.

Hannah laughed lightly at her fellow activity director's comment. “Go ahead and talk about your answers, if you like. It's a good way to learn about each other, especially since you're newlyweds.”

Ray waggled his eyebrows at Meg. “How about it, sweetheart? I'll show you mine, if you show me yours.”

With no hint of embarrassment, she said, “I've already seen yours twice this morning.”

Ray's mouth fell open in surprise. He had expected another stammered answer, another blush. What he got was a cheeky answer and a defiant, challenging look. His shock seemed to delight her, and she winked at him before turning back to her questionnaire.

XXX

“Are you sure this is McKnight's room, Ray?” Meg asked as they walked innocently up to the door.

“You're not the only one who can find out things,” he said with a frown.

She held up a hand placatingly. “Okay.”

He glared at her for a second before turning to the lock. It only took a few minutes for him to get it open, and Meg was impressed in spite of herself..

The McKnights' room wasn't all that different from theirs. The maid had been through and, if it weren't for the laptop and folder on the coffee table or the erotic romance on the night table, the room might have been empty.

“Well,” Meg said quietly, “anything hidden in here is probably in the laptop or somewhere no one would look, or they wouldn't let the maid in.”

“Yeah. How good are you with computers?”

“Competent. You?”

“I suck.”

She felt herself smile briefly. “Then you can look in the folder while I attack the laptop.”

Instead of answering, he flopped on the couch and opened the envelope. Meg settled beside him and was confronted by a prompt for McKnight's username and password. She bit her lip, wondering how many tries she'd get.

“Most of this stuff looks the same as ours,” Ray said, “but here's the schedule.”

“Good,” Meg told him. “Do you have any idea what McKnight would use for a username and password?”

“Killer and Juliet?” he suggested helpfully.

“I don't think it will be that easy.”

“Yeah, me neither.”

Any other conversation was cut off by a loud boom that seemed to shake the room.

Meg stiffened. “What was that?”

“I don't...Is that rain?”

She didn't have to answer him because as he asked the question, the window was pelted with water. Meg stood up to lean against it and saw a torrent of raindrops coming down so thick it was hard to see through. As it hit the ground, it bounced before turning dirt to muck and grass to sopping puddles. Rivulets ran down the windowpane like tears.

Another boom had Meg jumping back, her stomach clenched. Now that she was looking, she saw the bright flash of lightning.

“You okay?”

“Why do you ask?” She didn't want him to know that storms like this unsettled her.

“You seem jumpy.”

“If I am, it's because...” A thought hit her, “because no one will be able to leave the stable now.”

“Damn. We'd better...”

“Shh.” She held up her hand as voices caught her attention.

“We made it just in time, snuggly. Two more seconds, and we'd look like drowned rats.”

On unspoken agreement, Ray stuffed the papers back in the envelope and Meg turned off and closed the laptop before they both scurried to the closet. Even with Meg using the power button instead of the shut down command, they just barely got inside before there was a key in the lock.

The closet that seemed large and luxuriant shrunk as soon as Meg found herself inside with the door closed. It was completely dark and, though Meg wasn't claustrophobic, she found it hard to breathe. It didn't make it any easier that she could feel Ray behind her. They didn't exactly touch, but their closeness allowed her to sense him. She knew that if she shifted, even slightly, she would brush against him.

“It's lucky Emerson waited before taking us out,” Juliet McKnight's voice floated through the silence.

“Yeah. It's really coming down out there,” her husband answered.

“Yeah, lucky us,” Ray breathed in Meg's ear.

Meg's own breath caught at the sensation and the flutter it caused in her stomach. Irritated, she elbowed him gently in the ribs. It was a move she usually saved for Turnbull, but the caress of Ray's words on her ear felt too good to allow to continue.

“It was going to be such a great afternoon,” Juliet sighed on the other side of the door.

“I don't know. Jake Adair seems like a jerk.”

“You could take him, snuggly.”

Steven laughed. “Of course.”

“So, what should we do for the afternoon?”

“I don't know. How about some of this?”

There was the rustle of clothing and one of the giggles Meg was beginning to associate with Juliet. The giggle was quickly followed by a soft moan.

“As if this wasn't bad enough,” Meg mumbled so softly that she wasn't sure if Ray heard her until she felt the air above her ear stir when he chuckled.

Meg stiffened her spine and crossed her arms, determined not to show any discomfort. She stifled a gasp when she felt him poke her in the ribs right above her hip. She didn't know whether he wanted to share his amusement, to lighten her mood, or just to piss her off, but she was not impressed. 

Slurping sounds from the main room made her fidget, and she felt her face heat. Her shifting brought her in contact with Ray, and she quickly jerked away when she felt his firm warmth.

“Wait...wait...” Juliet sighed.

“What is it, babe?”

“I feel gross. I need a shower.”

“Sounds great. I'll join you.”

“Oh! Yes, please. Let's get out of these wet clothes.”

There was some more rustling and giggling and some moans and groans that Meg didn't want to know the cause of. Ray poked her again, and Meg elbowed him. She was a little rougher this time, and when her elbow came in contact with the top of his hipbone instead of his ribs or stomach, her fingers went numb. Ray made a soft sound of pain, and Meg was irrationally angry at him for the tingling in her fingers.

The bathroom door slamming seemed to echo in the closet and Meg sucked in her breath and held it, listening intently. Juliet and Steven were talking, but she could no longer hear what they were saying. When the water started, she couldn't hear them at all.

“Come on,” she whispered.

“I'm gonna have a bruise.”

“Then you should have kept your hands to yourself.”

He grunted and reached around her to open the door. Their bodies brushed from shoulder to thigh for an instant, and Meg told herself that the jolt she felt was because the fear of getting caught had her on edge. 

“We'll have to leave the schedule. Do you remember it?” she continued to whisper.

“Some of it. “C'mon. Let's get out of here.”

For once, she didn't argue with him.


	6. Chapter 6

Dinner with the McKnights was so boring that Ray wanted to shove his fork in his eye. Juliet was a complete girly girl, and he doubted she had much of a brain in her head. Of course, he could be wrong, and her vapid giggles could be masking a criminal mastermind, but he highly doubted it. Steven McKnight was easier to talk to, but he made Ray uneasy. He talked around any question about himself and asked pointed, probing questions in retaliation. His blue eyes were sharp and filled with intelligence, and Ray doubted he missed anything. Pretending to be friends with the two of them was going to be torture, but it would make their assignment one hundred times easier.

The highlight of Ray's evening had been watching Meg work. The moment she sat down—wearing this gorgeous, black, form-hugging and backless dress that was both classy and sexy—the diplomat came out. He finally got to see the reason the employees of the Canadian Consulate were invited to all the important political and foreign functions in Chicago. She was charming and gracious, and she made the pretty but substanceless Juliet seem like a child. Ray happily let her do most of the talking while he studied Steven McKnight.

“So, Ray,” McKnight said in a pause in the conversation, “what exactly do you do for a living?”

“I own a bar.”

McKnight's eyebrows shot up. “Really?”

“Yup.”

“My husband is a brilliant businessman.” Meg smiled and ran her fingers over his. “He could probably own a chain if he wanted to, but he likes to keep it small. Plus, since I have most summers off, it gives us time to spend together.”

The smile she was giving him was a lot different than the scowl he had gotten a few hours earlier when they returned from the terrible failure of trying to get anything from the McKnights' room. They had failed so dismally that it was obvious that another try would be pointless, and that had made her cranky. At least he assumed that's what it was.

“Do you teach?” Juliet asked.

“Yes, I do. English Literature to university students.”

She frowned and shuddered. “I never liked English. All those essays.”

“I quite enjoy reading essays. It's interesting to see all the different takes that are possible on one piece of literature.”

“And who is your favorite author, Meg?” Steven's eyes were so intense, it seemed the fate of the world rested on her answer.

“Arthur Conan Doyle,” she said without hesitation.

He frowned. “Sherlock Holmes?”

“I like how logical Holmes is. Doyle's writing really marked the birth of modern mystery and crime fiction.”

Steven accepted this with a nod and went back to his dinner.

“So, what do you do, Juliet?” Meg asked, taking a sip of her wine.

Juliet looked surprised. “Do?”

Meg smiled patiently. “Your career.”

“Oh, I don't have one.”

“No?”

“I don't like her to work,” Steven rumbled. “We have enough money that she doesn't have to. As long as she charms my business associates and makes our home comfortable, that's all I ask of her.”

“I see.” Meg's tone was non-committal, but Ray saw her eyes flash. “And what do you do, Steven?”

Steven's complete attention was suddenly on Meg. “I'm a businessman.”

“What kind of business?”

“I...” His pause was slight but Ray heard it, “manufacture things.”

Meg raised her eyebrows. “Things?”

“Stop being so nosy, sweetheart,” Ray said quickly, afraid she'd pushed too far.

“No, it's okay.” Steven raised his hand. “My company makes car parts. It's not interesting, but it pays well.”

Ray glanced at Juliet, who was beaming proudly, and wondered if she knew what her husband really did for a living.

Unfortunately for Ray, that was the most interesting conversation of the night. Though the meal lasted another half an hour, Juliet carried most of it, and she insisted on asking Meg's opinion of different designers. It was enough to make Ray have more fantasies about killing himself with his fork. Luckily, Meg seemed to read this in his eyes and prevented his desperate suicide by putting her hand over his.

XXX

“I do not like that man,” Meg announced as she and Ray entered their room.

She slid out of her shoes and made her way to the couch, settling onto it with a sigh.

“Yeah, he's a bit of a jerk,” Ray agreed, sitting next to her.

“I don't like her to work, he says. Like it's 1950, and he's king of his castle,” she continued, not even really listening to Ray.

“Some guys still think that way.”

She gave him a sharp look. “Not you, surely.”

“Nah. Stella is a lawyer, remember? She even made more than me.”

Meg crossed her arms, feeling ready for a fight. Steven McKnight had annoyed her, and she really wanted to take it out on Ray. “Did that bother you?”

“Nope.” Ray leaned back and folded his hands behind his head. She lifted an eyebrow at him, and he continued, “I was always real proud of Stella. She's smart and beautiful. Those eyes of hers can make any perp spill his guts. I would never've wanted less for her. I wanted her to go all the way. Judge. Supreme Court. President.”

Meg blinked and her waspishness drained away. She heard the truth in his tone and wished she had someone in her life that believed in her that way.

“That's very enlightened of you, Ray.” She kept her own tone sarcastic.

“Yeah.” He kicked his shoes off, and they clunked as they hit the floor. “Thanks.”

“Hopefully, tonight laid the foundation for us to spend a lot of time with the McKnights, annoying and tedious as they may be.”

“Fake friendships gotta work better than trying to search their room.”

Meg winced. “We might have had better results with Steven's username and password.”

“We'll find out what we can without 'em.”

“Yes...well...” Meg shifted away from him slightly as she remembered their time in the closet. She would be happy if she never had to think about it again. A change of subject was in order. “Have you decided what you're going to say tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow?”

“In therapy. Our assignment, remember?”

“What assignment?” He sat up.

“Ray, it was a simple assignment. Don't tell me you don't remember.”

“Um...”

She threw up her hands in exasperation. “Ray!”

“Give me a hint.”

“We're supposed to come up with a list of words to describe each other. I'm seriously considering putting absentminded on mine.”

“Oh, yeah.” He sounded tired.

“We need to talk about what is acceptable for Raymond and Megan.”

“Can't we just wing it?”

Meg shook her head. “Of course not. For one thing, we're supposed to have physical lists.”

She got up and retrieved a pad and a couple of pens. She ripped out two pages and handed one and a pen to Ray.

“We'll start with what we said yesterday.”

“Solid and kind?”

“Exactly.”

Ray shrugged. “Okay. What else? He'd say she was beautiful, wouldn't he?”

Meg settled back down beside him, shaking her head. “Maybe, but let's try to keep to sort of the truth. They'll be easier to discuss. There must be some positive things you think of me.”

He grunted at her and started doodling on his paper. That wasn't very helpful. Meg bit her lip. Five things should be enough, but what to say?

“Megan would probably like his sense of humour.”

“Really?”

She ignored him as she fell deeper into thought. “And his hands. They are newlyweds. That's three.” It wasn't really a description but, as she said, they were newlyweds. Meg glanced at him and saw him gazing at his hand. “What?”

“Wouldn't she like another body part altogether?”

“Ray!”

“I'm just saying...”

“Write something.”

“Stubborn, impatient, or bossy?”

She sighed. “Are you going to take this seriously?”

“How can I?”

“It's either that or blow our cover.”

“So, what do you want me to write?”

“Anything that sounds as if you tolerate me.”

“Fine. How 'bout classy?”

“Classy?” The word was unexpected.

“You don't like that one either?”

“No. That's fine.”

“I'm so glad you approve.”

“I won't be noting your sarcasm.”

“Fiery,” Ray said, writing it down.

“I beg your pardon?”

“Fiery. It means...”

“I know what it means, Ray.”

“I didn't know a nicer way to say you drive me nuts.”

So much for the camaraderie they'd been building over the past two days. She opened her mouth to say something but stopped when she noticed Ray was writing something else. She leaned over to read it, expecting something sarcastic. It said, “Smart.”

Meg added “intuitive” to hers, and he leaned over as she had done, but he didn't comment on the word. Instead, he said, “and I am putting beautiful on my list. Raymond would think his wife was beautiful, and I'm putting it.”

Smart and beautiful. Those were the same words he had used to describe Stella earlier, and she wondered if that's who he was thinking of now. Meg knew she was intelligent and reasonably attractive, but no one had ever looked at her the way she had once seen Ray look at Stella. 

She glanced down at her list: kind, good sense of humour, good with his hands, intuitive. Just a little sadly, she added “loving” to it.

“Loving?”

“Does that bother you?”

“I guess not.”

“Good.” She put her pen down and got up with purpose. “It's only eight o'clock. Let's go out and talk to some people.”

XXX

Over the next two days, they fell into a routine, and the roommate thing got slightly easier. They continued to touch each other and act as if they couldn't keep their hands off of each other in public while analyzing each of their interactions with the others in private. They also found they both liked Susie and Jake Adair and Harrison and Alex Mills, so they spent some time with them when not watching the McKnights. Meg had wanted to go for a horseback ride to get away from the restrictive confines of being Megan, but the weather refused to cooperate until she woke up Friday morning to dazzling sunlight.

With a smile, she flipped her covers over and practically hopped out of bed. She had been feeling blue and rather homesick—which was strange since she didn't particularly like Chicago—but the sunshine melted it all away. After all, she had survived almost a week at the resort without going crazy or killing Ray. Besides that, they had already made good headway with the McKnights. Even if they didn't stumble on any criminal activity, what they learned about the couple could be invaluable.

Still smiling, Meg went over to the big window and leaned against the sill. For the first time, she really noticed how beautiful their view was.

“Now, that's a view a man could get used to waking up to.”

Meg squeaked and jumped away from the window, pulling down on her pajama top. The window, though slightly longer, was behind the couch. Meg hadn't really thought about the fact that her thigh was pressed against the couch arm and her bare stomach, where her shirt had rode up, was centimetres from Ray's face. Because he had been sleeping, it hadn't mattered. Now that she was aware she had been almost leaning over him and that he might have been able to see up her top and not just the skin bared by her stretching, it suddenly did.

“I thought you were asleep.” She was still tugging at her shirt.

“Who can sleep with all that sun shining in his face?”

“And I suppose the sunshine is what you meant just now.”

He grinned wolfishly. “Of course.”

“Don't be a child, Ray,” she said crossly, though she was still feeling lighter than she had in days. “Now that you're awake, you might as well get up.”

“What's goin' on today?”

“Today's girls' night slash boys' night, plus we've got a presentation on sensual massage...”

“What?”

“Don't worry. It's a group presentation. I don't think there will be any real touching involved. There's also couples' baking. I hope you're better with that than I am or the results might kill us.”

“I'm okay.”

“We've also agreed to go bike riding with Lavender and Jasper—that girl adores you—and to have lunch with Steven and Juliet.”

Ray groaned. “Do we ever get a laze around and do nothing day?”

“As a matter of fact, they never schedule anything for Sundays. Didn't you read our introductory material?”

“Not really.”

She hmphed and sat down on the couch arm. “Why not?”

“Because I knew you would.”

This earned him a dirty look. “Aren't you afraid I'll lie to you or get something wrong?”

“Nope.” He pushed himself into a sitting position.

Meg sighed and changed the subject. “I was considering going for a ride tomorrow. Do you want to come?”

“What kind of ride?”

“Horseback.”

He laughed. “I'm from Chicago. I don't know how to ride a horse.”

“You don't?”

He shook his head. “Of course not.”

“Oh. I can go alone, then...or...um...”She suddenly felt uncomfortable and couldn't explain why. “I could teach you.”

“Maybe.”

“Let me know.” She got up. “Dibbs on the first shower.”

“Be my guest.”

XXX

To Ray's relief, Meg was right about the sensual massage presentation. No touching was required, though they were told to book time in the massage rooms if they'd prefer a real table to the bed or the floor.

The subject itself was kind of embarrassing, and Ray managed to avoid looking at Meg the whole time. He was immensely relieved when it was over and they were following the Balfours outside for their bike ride, even though it meant he would actually have to, well, ride a bike. He hadn't done that since he was fifteen.

Before they got to the main doors, Meg said, “I think I'll go back to the room for a minute to put this away. I don't want to lose it.”

She held up the envelope Nathan Scott, the masseuse in charge of the presentation, had given each couple as they left the room. Ray met her gaze and forced himself not to look away.

“Oh, yeah, right,” Lavender agreed. “I'll go with you. Be right back, hon.”

She gave Jasper a quick kiss on the cheek. Ray wondered if Meg was going to copy the action, but she didn't get a chance because Lavender looped their arms together.

“We'll wait here,” Ray told them, waving at a cluster of overstuffed chairs.

Jasper had a soft, goofy smile on his face as he watched his wife walk away. “Isn't she wonderful?”

“Who?”

“Lavender. I can't believe someone as pretty as she is loves me.”

Ray glanced up at Jasper as he settled into one of the chairs. The kid reminded him a lot of himself at that age. He was kind of scrawny and awkward with weird, nerdy glasses. Ray remembered feeling the same way about Stella.

The thought of his ex-wife was sobering. When she left him, he had been devastated. He had loved her for so long, and knowing she was gone from his life had been terrifying. He was finally coming to terms with it and the knowledge that he would always love the girl she had been, even if he was starting to dislike the woman she had become. Learning to accept this was allowing him to finally move on, but sometimes he had fear-filled lapses. Ray didn't want to spend the rest of his life alone.

“So, how old are you, anyway?” he asked, pushing his memories away. He was having enough trouble dealing with the knowledge that he was strongly and inexplicably—okay, she was beautiful and smart and sarcastic, which was his type, so maybe not quite so inexplicably, though he usually went for blonds—attracted to the Ice Queen, he didn't need the added burden of dealing with bittersweet memories.

“Nineteen,” Jasper said proudly.

“High school sweethearts?”

“Yeah,” he admitted. “How did you meet Meg?”

“At a party.”

“You talked to her?”

“She looked so good, I couldn't help myself.”

“I met Lavender in eighth grade. We were both in the advanced class. When I saw her come in, it was like the sun had come up. I was too scared to talk to her. I just stared at her for two weeks.”

“And?”

“One day, she just came over and introduced herself.”

“She's a nice girl.”

“She's the nicest person I know.”

“You guys don't seem to be havin' problems. Why are you here?

Jasper didn't seem insulted by the question. “Our parents thought it was a good idea. They think we're too young and wanted us to learn about how to stay together when times get tough. To tell you the truth, I can't imagine anything tearing us apart.”

Youthful optimism and faith. Ray missed that. “But it doesn't hurt to learn some new skills in case you need 'em.”

“True.” He nodded in agreement. “Is that why you and Meg are here?”

“Sort of. Instead of being too young, Meg thinks we're too different. She's an amazing woman, and I can't imagine ever being blind to that. Still, comin' here makes her happy, and I'd do a lot more to see her smile.” Ray thought over what he said to see if it made sense, and he realized that there was even actually some truth in it.

“You two look so serious,” Meg announced as she perched herself on the arm of Ray's chair. “What are you talking about?”

She ran her hand affectionately through the spikes of Ray's hair before putting her arm around his shoulders. It was an interesting sensation.

Ray squeezed her bare knee in retaliation, enjoying the feel of skin on skin. “Nothin' much. All ready?”

“We're ready,” Lavender assured him. She held out her hand and hauled Jasper to his feet. “This is going to be lots of fun.”

Ray doubted that. He'd much rather be sitting on the couch watching movies. Meg must have been reading his mind, because she said, “Come on, Ray. The exercise will be good for you.”


	7. Chapter 7

Ray noticed that Meg looked slightly irritated as they put on their aprons and washed up for couples' baking that afternoon. Lunch with the McKnights had been uneventful, and they hadn't learned anything new.

As Ray got to know Steven better, it was easier to see past his baby face to the shrewd man underneath. He could imagine a guy like that killing people and kidnapping and selling women. Somehow, though, he just couldn't see Juliet as his partner in crime.

Ray glanced over at MariAnna and Eric Dever, who were also scheduled for the baking session. The two of them were quiet and avoiding eye contact, which probably meant that they had been fighting again. 

Because they were in public, Ray said, “Can you help me with my apron, sweetheart?”

“Hmn?” Meg had been lost in her own thoughts but looked up when he spoke.

“I can't seem to tie this stupid thing behind my back.”

“Oh. Sure.”

Her hands brushed his sides as she gathered up his ties. Ray turned slightly and bent down to whisper in her ear.

“What's wrong?”

“That man annoys me.” Her voice was tight as she whispered back. “Now, hold still.”

Ray chuckled and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek right in front of her ear. It was as much to try to change her mood as it was for show. He didn't look at her face to see her reaction. Instead, he turned so she could tie his apron.

“Isn't this a little girly for you?” she asked as she finished.

The apron Ray had chosen was hot pink, but he liked it because it had large black hand prints on the chest, as if someone was hugging him from behind.

“I can make it work.”

“What I want to know is whose hand prints these are.” She brought her own hands up and placed them on the apron, pressing against Ray's chest. “They're certainly not mine. Is there something you want to tell me?”

Eric Dever snorted in amusement and his wife hit him lightly, so Ray smiled at her.

“Are we ready?” Rebecca Fossen's cheerful voice asked as she walked into the room.

“I'm not quite sure I understand the purpose of this, Rebecca,” MariAnna said.

“It's to experience the closeness performing just simple tasks together can bring. Have the two of you baked or cooked together before?”

“Definitely not.”

“Ray? Meg?”

Meg had released Ray and was now standing by his side. She sounded amused when she answered, “I'm hopeless in the kitchen.”

“Well, as you can see, we've got two cooking spaces here. There's a recipe taped to the counter on each side. It doesn't matter how it turns out. The idea is to enjoy yourselves. I'm here if you need any help, but the recipe is quite simple.”

She led them over to the cooking stations, and Ray went over to read the recipe on the counter.

“Chocolate chip cookies.”

“I love chocolate chip cookies.”

They actually had something in common. “Me too.”

“I wonder if they'll be edible.”

He laughed. “Only one way to find out.”

The ingredients were mixed in two bowls, so they divided up the work. Well, Meg divided up the work, but Ray didn't protest. She went to find the flour, her face set in concentration, and Ray went to find the sugar.

He had searched through several cupboards before he felt a light touch on his arm.

“It was beside the flour,” she said softly, leaning into him, her touch becoming a brief caress.

“Thanks,” he replied, thinking about how natural just one week of pretending had made her gesture feel. Forced intimacy had brought with it a comfort level he hadn't expected.

She nodded, but her attention wasn't on him anymore. He could see her mapping out her strategy, even though she was just mixing three dry ingredients in a bowl. 

Maybe that was her problem with cooking. The thought rolled through his mind. She was too logical, too precise. A lot of cooking, and baking, was intuition and heart. He shoved the thought away and frowned down into his bowl.

“Does this look like a grainy paste to you?” He turned to Meg.

“Pardon?” she asked, turning from the recipe she had been squinting at.

Ray grinned. The elegant-even-in-flannel-pajamas Inspector had a streak of flour across her cheek.

“Uh...” He fought down his smile. “This. Do you think it looks right?”

She studied the contents of his bowl as if it held the answers to every investigation she had ever been involved in. “I think so.”

“Good.”

Meg glanced up at his face. “Is something the matter?”

She must have seen the humour in his eyes. 

“Nah.”

“Then why are you looking at me like that?”

“You've got flour on your face.”

“I do?”

“Yeah. You musta...Wait. Here.”

He reached out and cupped her cheek, wiping at the flour with his thumb. For just an instant, she looked startled.

“All gone. Can you get me the eggs out of the fridge?”

“Eggs?”

“You know those round things that come from a chicken's a...”

“Ray, don't even.” She held up her hand and her eyes flashed before she turned her back on him and walked to the fridge. Ray's smile came back, and he let himself enjoy it. Edible or not, he hoped he'd get to make cookies with Meg again.

XXX

“Hello,” Hannah Riordan addressed the group of twenty people gathered in the large room. “I'm glad to see you all made it. This is the only time we'll meet here on Friday night. I just wanted to speak to you all the first time.”

Ray studied her as her eyes passed over the guests. Did her gaze linger too long on Steven McKnight? Was she his contact at Couples' Haven?

It was easy to tune out her voice as she went on and on about the importance of Girls' Night and Boys' Night. Instead of listening, he began studying the other guests. He knew them a little better now, and he liked most of them. He hoped none of them were working for McKnight. He watched for any lingering eye contact but didn't see any.

Ray actually thought it was a good idea for Steven and Juliet to be separated. He didn't have any hope of getting anything out of Steven, but Juliet might let something slip to Meg.

Beside him, Meg made a soft sound of disbelief.

“What is it?”

“Women can't handle poker?”

“Huh?” Ray was lost.

“The men get to play poker. We get Yahtzee.”

“Well, you know, men usually...”

“Men usually what?” she cut him off, her voice a little louder.

Hannah stopped mid lecture. “Is there a problem, Meg?”

Her gaze was chilly as she answered, “No, please continue.”

Ray was glad the look wasn't directed at him for once though, with her eyes, even Ice Queen frozen was attractive. Before they arrived at the resort, he had never noticed how interesting they were. They were too dark to really be hazel, but with the hints of green and flecks of gold, they weren't really brown either. 

When he realized he was staring at Meg and thinking about her eyes, Ray frowned. The drone of Hannah Riordan's voice was enough to make anyone's mind wander, he told himself.

Finally, the chipper young woman stopped talking except to say, “We've got the boys set up in the Blue Room and the girls in the Green Room. Have fun.”

As Ray got up, he noticed he wasn't the only one looking a little dazed. He caught Mark Rodgers's eye, and the tall man grinned sleepily.

The group started filtering through the door and dividing by gender. Aware the others were watching, Ray drew Meg close for a quick kiss good-bye. Her lips were warm and soft, and they sent a jolt through his body. He wanted to linger, taste more of her, but she was already pulling away.

“See you in a couple of hours,” she said warmly, but he was too stunned by the potency of her kiss to reply. 

“Newlyweds,” Mark said in amusement, clapping Ray on the back.

“Huh?” Ray forced his brain to start working again.

“I recognize that look in your eye, man. You've got it, Jasper's got it, Stewart's got it. I remember the feeling. Every minute apart was torture. Don't worry. You'll be back in your wife's arms before you know it.”

“Uh...thanks.”

“Are we going to play cards or what?” Eric Devers asked impatiently.

“Sure,” Ray told him. “Ready to lose?”

“Yeah, right.”

Even though the goal was to watch McKnight's interaction with the other men, Ray wouldn't mind beating the pants off of all of them. “Care to put your money where your mouth is, Dever?”

“Any time, Thatcher. Any time.”

XXX

The weekend was uneventful. After group therapy on Saturday, all the guests decided to watch a couple of movies together, so Meg didn't get her horseback ride. Because of this, she was glad to see riding on her schedule for the following weekend, and she promised to give Ray a private lesson before then.

Since Sunday was a free day, they spent most of it with the McKnights. To Meg's annoyance, the couple didn't do anything suspicious. She found out lots about Juliet, but she doubted her superiors would be interested to know Juliet's favorite color was pink and she had a glass of orange juice for breakfast every morning. Steven was as close-mouthed as ever, and she found him both irritating and creepy.

She was going over this again in her mind early Monday morning. Ray was in the shower, and Meg was sitting on the bed in her pajamas with their folders spread out around her.

It was depressing to think of their lack of progress, but it was better than the alternative. She frowned and pushed the thoughts of running water from her mind. There was no reason for it to be distracting.

She bit her lip and forced her thoughts back to the employees. She and Ray had detailed folders on their backgrounds, but she wondered if they'd gain anything by getting a look at their employee files. Ray would probably frown at the idea of another break in but Meg was getting antsy.

A knock on the door had Meg springing into action. She gathered the folders together quickly, calling, “Just a minute!”

She barely registered the shower shutting off as she shoved the files under the blankets. The maid wouldn't be there for a couple of hours, and she'd have plenty of time to move them before then.

Meg was just pulling on a robe and reaching for the doorknob when Ray came out of the bathroom with a towel around his waist. The sight stunned her, and she forgot what she was doing. Ray jerked his chin at her, and Meg opened the door.

There was a man in white shorts and a white polo shirt on the other side. He was small and young. Meg guessed about 5'5 and about eighteen.

“Yes?” she asked.

“I'm sorry to disturb you, Mrs. Thatcher,” he said politely. His blue eyes were cool and the color of ice.

She read his name tag. “That's all right, Billy. How may I help you?”

“There has been a change in the schedule for this evening.” He held out a piece of paper.

Ray came up behind Meg, placing a hand on her shoulder and taking it before she could. Carefully, Meg kept her face from showing her flash of anger at his action.

“Thanks, buddy.” His hand moved possessively from her shoulder and across her back until it settled at her waist. He was still slightly damp, and she felt the water seep in through her pajamas to touch her skin.

“You're welcome, sir.”

“Is there anything else you need, Billy?” Meg asked politely, trying to dilute Ray's aggressive stance. It was as if he expected Billy to pull a gun on them. At least his actions came off as possessive and believable. 

“No, ma'am. If you need any more information, please call the office.”

“We will.” As soon as their door was closed, Meg moved away from Ray and demanded, “What was that all about?”

“Didn't you see the way he was looking at you?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Your top button is undone, and he noticed.”

“I'm almost old enough to be that boy's mother.”

“It didn't stop him from looking. Watch out for him.”

Meg rolled her eyes, reaching up to do up the offending button. “It's only been a week, and we're seeing possible creeps everywhere. Now, don't you think maybe you should get dressed?”

“In a minute.” Ray's eyes swept over the paper in his hand.

“What is it?”

“We're all expected to go to a bonfire tonight.”

“A bonfire?”

“Yup. Marshmallows, wieners, the works.”

Meg sighed. “Well, at least if we're all together, we'll be able to keep an eye on everyone.”

“And everyone will be able to keep an eye on us.”

“Then, we'll just have to make sure we look extra married.”

XXX

Meg felt herself relax as she made her way down the bone white hallway. For the first time since her arrival over a week before, she was completely alone. No Ray. No other guests. Especially no giggling Juliet McKnight. Sometimes she liked the young woman but mostly Juliet ground on her nerves.

Being alone was bliss. She had left Ray watching an alien horror flick with Harrison and Alex Mills, making her escape to spend some quality time alone in the library. She wasn't sure she'd even read. Just sitting by herself and remembering who she really was sounded like a little piece of heaven.

Her unexpected attraction to Ray was a constant distraction, and the sheer boredom and impatience of watching a careful criminal for slip ups was wearing on her quick mind. She liked puzzles and action; surveillance drove her mad.

The sound of voices made Meg freeze. She recognized Juliet's soft, slightly squeaky voice, but the other voice was unfamiliar. Since Juliet was supposed to be baking cookies, Meg wondered what they were talking about.

She was near the door to the Blue Room, so she opened it and slipped inside. Leaving the door open a crack, she leaned against it, tensed to see if she could hear anything.

“Are you sure about this?” Meg took a chance on pressing her eye to the crack, wanting to know who was speaking. She frowned as she saw a slim, boyish African American woman. Meg had never met her, but she recognized Lily Carr, the head of the spa, from her files.

“I'd really appreciate it, and so would Steven.”

“Steven wants this?”

“Yes,” Juliet's voice was as serious as Meg had ever heard it. “He asked me to make the request.”

“When do you need it?”

“I'll let you know.”

“This could cost me my job.”

“I don't care.” Her tone was cold. Meg wondered where that had come from and what else Juliet was hiding.

The women moved down the hallway, and Meg could no longer hear them. She ran the conversation through her mind, trying to figure out whether Carr worked for McKnight or whether she was just being bullied.

Carr had not been on Meg's watch list, but she would be now. Not only would Meg like a look at Carr's personnel file, she'd also like a good search of her office.

Forgetting all about her desire to be alone, Meg turned back towards the lounge. When she got there, she found Ray in an armchair while Alex and Harrison sat on the couch. They were sitting quite close together, though they weren't touching, and Meg was glad to see it because she knew they had come to the island because they were having problems.

Ray didn't even look up when she entered the room. His eyes were glued to the explosions that had taken over the huge screen in front of him. Meg paused, thinking about the best way to get his attention that would go with their cover.

Making her decision, she strode across the room and positioned herself behind Ray.

“Hey,” she said just a second before she put her arms around his neck and kissed the top of his head. His hair was soft against her lips and smelled good.

“Meg?” She heard the surprise in his voice.

“I hope so.”

He picked up one of her hands and ran his lips across the palm. The feeling caused a warm flutter in her stomach. “I thought you were goin' to read.”

“I changed my mind. I want to go back to the room. Do you want to come with me?”

“But the movie...”

She bent down to pretend she was nibbling on his ear and whispered, “I saw something.”

“Well, if you put it that way,” Ray said loud enough for Alex and Harrison to hear. He got up and continued, “I'm outta here. See you guys at couples' yoga.”

Harrison smirked in a way Meg wasn't sure she liked, even though what he was thinking was her intention. She pretended not to see Ray answer his smirk with a wiggle of his eyebrows as he circled Meg's waist with his arm.

Ray kept his arm around her as they moved down the hallway. She knew he did it in case they ran into any of the other couples, so she returned his embrace.

“What happened?” he asked lowly.

“I'll tell you when we get back to the room,” she replied at the same volume.


	8. Chapter 8

Meg and Ray separated after couples' yoga. He wanted to watch the rest of his movie, and she wanted to do the reading she didn't get to earlier.

She lost track of time curled up in the most comfortable chair in the library, but she felt sticky and yucky, so she took a shower before heading down to the bonfire. She wasn't exactly late, but she wasn't on time either, so she practically threw on her shorts and tank top.

It wasn't quite dark as she approached the fire on the beach. The first thing she noticed was that all the chairs were taken. As a matter of fact, several of the chairs held doubled couples, couples who were talking, laughing, and roasting marshmallows and hotdogs. Meg hesitated, considering going back the way she'd come.

Then, she inwardly frowned and pushed away her feeling of unease. She and Ray had been constantly touching for over a week, and everyone thought they were newlyweds. Ray had slipped into the role easier than she had, and it was time she jumped into their assignment with both feet, no matter how uncomfortable it made her.

Pasting a smile on her face, she moved around the fire until she reached Ray. As if it were the most natural thing in the world, she slipped into his lap.

“Hi,” she said warmly, “sorry I'm late.”

She felt his body tense in surprise before he lazily slid an arm around her waist. Meg shifted until she was comfortable and then relaxed against him.

“Where've you been, love?” he asked, his breath caressing her skin.

“I decided to have a shower.”

“That's why you smell so good.”

The kiss on the side of her neck, right at the place that always made her knees go weak, was completely unexpected. A delicious tingle traveled the whole length of her body at the touch. She bit her lip, hoping the shock of it hadn't shown on her face.

“Would you like a marshmallow?” Ray asked.

“What?”

“A marshmallow.”

He tightened his hold on her so he wouldn't displace her and bent slightly to retrieve a bag from the ground. His fingers slipped just under the hem of her shirt, trailing gently across her skin. The tingle became stronger and she felt her muscles tighten. 

“That would be nice, Ray. Thank you.” She was proud that her voice was steady.

He grinned at her boyishly, full of charm, and handed her the bag. When she took it, he picked up a sharpened stick from the side of their chair. Meg fished in the bag with slightly shaky fingers and took out four marshmallows to push onto the stick. She tried not to notice that his whole hand was now splayed against her side, underneath her shirt.

“Will four be enough for now?” she asked him.

“Sure. We'll make some more if we want some.”

She reached out to take the stick from him, a need for revenge making her run her fingers very gently over his hand before she closed them over the stick.

The hand on her ribs flexed against her skin. She tried to ignore it as she stuck their marshmallows near the fire.

“What are you doin'?” Ray asked, his mouth right by her ear.

“Browning our marshmallows.”

“That's not how you do it.”

“What do you mean?”

Ray gently took the stick from her hand and shoved it in the fire. “Like this.”

“Ray, you're going to catch them on fire!”

“You're supposed to catch them on fire. Then you blow them out and pick the black stuff off.”

As he said this, the marshmallows caught and blazed. Meg folded her arms and leaned back against him. Ray let the flames play for a bit before pulling the stick out. 

“Blow,” he told her.

She thought about refusing but didn't want to come off as petulant. She was also trying to tell herself that her way wasn't always the only way or the right way.

Meg started blowing and she felt the puff of air against her cheek as Ray's breath joined hers. Blowing together, it didn't take long for the flames to go out.

She eyed the black, gooey mess doubtfully.

“See.” Ray gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. “They're perfect.”

XXX

“So, do you think you can handle this?” Meg asked lowly. 

She was leaned against Ray, pressing her body to his. Her lips were on his collarbone and to anyone watching it would look as if they were making out in the hallway that led to the office. 

“If I can flirt with you, I can flirt with anybody.”

“But it's got to be innocent. You're supposed to be madly in love with me.”

“I'm madly somethin'.” He slid his hand over her hip and up her spine.

“Behave.” She bit him lightly.

“Don't worry. I know how to flirt with a girl without comin' on to her. She'll know I'm not offerin'.”

She bit him again, harder. “Woman.”

“Huh?”

“I hate when you use the term 'girl'. It's demeaning.”

“Oh, sorry.” He didn't sound it, but she let it slide.

“Are you ready?”

“Yeah. You?”

“Just make sure she doesn't see me.”

“Trust me.”

Meg stiffened at the words. They sounded so simple, but they weren't really. Trust wasn't something she gave easily. Too often, trusting someone had backfired on her. Still, this partnership would crash and burn if she and Ray couldn't trust each other. She knew it, but it was hard.

“Okay.”

“Good girl.” He patted her butt gently, and she immediately wanted to growl and take it back.

Instead, she released him and watched him go down the corridor and disappear from sight. Blocking everything but her objectives from her mind, Meg took several deep breaths. Then she followed him.

XXX

“I can't believe how easy that was,” Meg commented as she and Ray hurried back into their room. “If she worked for me at the Consulate, I'd fire her.”

“Lucky for us, she's easy to distract.”

“Yes, that's true.” Meg pulled the pages she had photocopied out from under her silk shirt. “I wish had had time to get them all.”

“Hopefully, it will be just as easy to sneak into her office tonight.”

“How are your lock picking skills, Ray?”

“Can't I just kick it in?”

She laughed softly as she made her way to the kitchen. “That might be noticed.”

They had decided to break into the main office during the afternoon to avoid alarms and Carr's personal office in the middle of the night to avoid people.

The kitchen was now stocked with some stuff from the cafeteria, so Meg grabbed a couple of apples from the crisper before she sat at the table. When Ray joined her, she rolled one over to him.

“Thanks. Anything interestin' in the file?”

“I don't know yet. I just photocopied it.” Meg carefully unfolded the papers and ironed out the creases with her hand. She felt Ray's eyes on her and glanced up to see him watching her impatiently. “What?”

“Don't make love to them, read them.”

“There's nothing wrong with being neat, Ray.”

“Now, you sound like Fraser.” He reached out and snatched the papers from under her hand.

She frowned, fighting the urge to snatch them back. Instead, she got up and circled the table, positioning herself so she could read over his shoulder. She squinted, then sighed. 

“Want your glasses?” she asked.

“Yeah.”

Meg went into the main room and collected her glasses from the bedside table and his from the coffee table. When she got back to the kitchen, the paper was folded on the table in front of him.

She quirked an eyebrow at him, so he said, “It didn't feel right lookin' at it without you.”

She couldn't help but smile at this as she reached out to gently place Ray's glasses on his face. Still smiling, she slipped on her own.

“Well, then, let's find out what kind of employee Lily Carr is, shall we?”

XXX

It felt strange to be leaving their room in their pajamas. Still, it was necessary in case anyone caught them out of their room after midnight.

Getting into Lily Carr's office was even more important now that they had seen her personnel file. The Fossens considered her an excellent employee, and she had no guest complaints against her. Her references had all been positive, and she had even received several bonuses for exceptional work. There hadn't been one negative thing in the file, and that made Meg suspicious. Even Fraser, who was as close to perfect as anyone she had ever seen, had marks on his record—and some of them were from Meg herself.

Ray's hand captured hers as soon as they closed their door behind them. She let him thread their fingers together and tried to make it look as if they were slipping off somewhere to have fun. 

They made their way quietly through the hallways. The resort seemed almost empty at that time of night, it was so quiet.

They were still in the sleeping section of the resort when one of the doors opened, and a giggling couple stumbled out. Meg recognized Michael and Ryanne Parker immediately. She didn't know them all that well because they were a very quiet couple who kept to themselves. 

The Parkers weren't all that quiet now, though they tried to be. When they caught sight of Meg and Ray, they stopped. Ryanne's eyes widened and a blush burned brightly on her face. Her husband just smiled guiltily. Both of them were wearing robes, and Meg had a feeling, from the flashes of skin, that that was all they were wearing.

“Hi,” Michael said through his smile.

“Hi,” Ray answered.

“We were just...um...heading for a swim,” Ryanne admitted sheepishly.

Meg gave her a soft half smile. “At two in the morning?”

“It's more private that way.” Michael's eyes were twinkling.

Ryanne's blush deepened, and she jabbed him with her elbow.

“What are you two doing up?” Michael continued. “Were you headed to the pool?”

“Nah. We're headed to the spa. Do you know if it's open?” Ray said. 

“The office is closed,” Ryanne answered, “and some of the rooms, but the sensual massage room, the small hot tub, and the weight room are all open all night. Just tell the night guard where you're going. They like to know who's there.”

Meg squeezed Ray's hand. “There's a night guard?”

“Yeah, but don't worry. Privacy is important. If he knows you're in the open section, he won't go there unless he suspects a problem.”

“You sound like you know what you're talkin' about,” Ray teased her.

Michael smirked and winked as Meg said, “Ray!”

“I'd better get out of here before I get in trouble. Have fun.”

“You too.” The amusement still in his eyes was unmistakable. Meg had a feeling that he would be a great friend if she could take the time to get to know him.

As they moved past each other, Meg waved to Ryanne, and Ryanne gave a small wave and a bright smile back.

“They're sweet,” Meg commented to Ray when they were out of earshot.

“I like 'em,” he agreed.

“And they gave us useful information.”

“Yup.”

“They're also enjoying their time here.”

Ray chucked, and Meg squeezed his hand again, this time in shared amusement.

XXX

By the time they got to the spa, Meg's good humour was gone. She was wondering how they were supposed to get into Carr's office past the security guard. They could get in the open section, but the areas were separate from each other. The only way Meg could see that it would work was if they went into one of the open rooms and then sneaked out when the guard wasn't looking. She had a whispered conversation with Ray to this effect, and he seemed to agree.

When they reached the doors that proudly proclaimed, “Couples' Haven Spa”, Meg said, “Wait.”

“What is it?”

She thought they should looked mussed and she wasn't sure if there was a camera outside of the door or not, so she pushed Ray roughly against the wall. He let go of her hand and lightly caught her by the waist. She hoped he could see the apology in her eyes as her own hand brushed his bare stomach and moved confidently up his chest.

She swallowed as her heartbeat quickened but ignored it. She also ignored his sharp intake of breath.

“I'm going to nuzzle your cheek now. Undo my top button,” she murmured.

Ray pulled her closer and his hands started caressing her back. She refused to acknowledge how nice it was as she lifted slightly to nuzzle his cheek and rain kisses on his jaw. One hand stayed on his shoulder to anchor her, but the other went deep into his hair so she could deliberately muss it.

His fingers caressed her face with a feather light touch. They fluttered across her jaw, mirroring her kisses, and then down her neck and across her collarbone. She held back a sigh at the sensation, determined not to react. When she felt her top button come undone, she pulled away from him in relief.

“Not out here, sweetie,” she said, hoping he didn't notice the flush in her cheeks.

He cleared his throat. “No. Let's go somewhere more private.”

She forced a smile and curled her arm around him. She was careful to make sure her hand landed on flannel not skin. Unfortunately, Ray was not as careful. He returned her embrace, but his fingers slipped under the bottom of her top to brush her side.

The security guard was a small, round man with a kind face. He looked up from a magazine when they came in.

“Hey,” Ray said easily.

“Hi.” He didn't seem very surprised to see them, and Meg wondered how many couples sneaked down to use the facilities in the middle of the night.

“Do you mind if we use some of the rooms?”

“Not at all. Avoid the hot tub; there's someone in there, but all the rest of the rooms down that hallway should be open. Just make sure you clean up after yourselves and fill out one of these cards for the maids.” He held out a piece of paper, so Meg took it. “All the rooms down that hallway are locked for the night, so don't bother trying them, and the ones down the hallway that branches from it are strictly off limits.”

“Okay. Thanks.”

While Ray was talking to the guard, Meg eyed the hallway they weren't supposed to go down. If they could slip into it without the guard noticing, they could then go into the corridor where the offices were unseen. Since you couldn't seen the office doors from the guard's desk, they should be able to go into Carr's office undetected as long as they were quiet.

The guard went back to his magazine, and Meg let Ray steer her down the hallway to the first door. This was the sensual massage room, she remembered from the presentation.

“This could be fun,” Ray announced loudly as they went inside.

As soon as the door was closed, Meg pulled away from him. Her skin was hot where his fingers had rested, and she was sure her face was still deeply flushed.

So she wouldn't have to look at him, she studied the room. It was dominated by a comfortable looking massage bed. It was slightly wider and longer than a normal bed, and the holed face rest was adjustable so you didn't have to use it if you didn't want to. Along one wall was a wardrobe labeled, “clean towels and robes”, and beside it was a glass fronted cabinet filled with oils. The room also had a sideboard and cabinet, a sink, and a laundry chute.

“So, which of this stuff should we use?” Ray asked pleasantly, leaning forward to peer into the cabinet. “Most of these are edible...hmmn, and this one warms when applied to skin.”

“What?” She stumbled back in surprise.

“Relax. We're just goin' to have to empty at least one of these and take out a towel so it looks like we used 'em.” He pitched his voice low because they both knew the couple from the hot tub could be going by.

“Oh, of course we will, Detective. Pardon me.”

A slow, slightly wicked smile went over his face. “Detective? Exactly what did you think I meant we were going to do with this?”

Flustered, she turned her attention to the case. “Ray. I meant Ray. I thought you were teasing me.”

He didn't answer, he just opened the case and took out the warming oil. “I wonder what this feels like. I bet Ray Thatcher would use this with Megan.”

“Why wouldn't they use something like the strawberry scented...” She squinted. “...and strawberry flavoured oil?”

He swapped the bottles. “Strawberry it is. Lie down.”

“Now, you _are_ teasing me.” She took the bottle from him. “Go watch the guard. I'll pour this down the sink.”

“Yes, ma'am.”

“Just go.”

When he did, she went over to the sink and opened the bottle. She took a tentative sniff and decided she liked the smell. A quick glance at Ray showed he was peeking out through a crack in the door, so she gave in to curiosity and dipped the tip of her finger into the oil to take a quick taste. It actually wasn't bad. It tasted more like strawberry candy than strawberries.

Feeling slight regret for the waste, she turned the bottle and watched the pink, oily liquid slide down the drain. It was about half gone when a thought struck her. She stopped pouring and went over to the wardrobe to retrieve two towels.

Just pouring out a bottle of liquid wasn't enough. Sight was just one sense, and it had to seem to anyone coming into the room, and anyone they met in the corridor, that they had actually used the oil. That meant that they, and a couple of towels, had to actually smell like strawberries (and somehow keep the scent from lingering in Carr's office, if they got in there.)

She approached Ray's unsuspecting back, pouring a little oil on her hands.

He must have heard her because he quietly said, “He hasn't moved yet.”

“Okay.” Meg reached out and put her hands on his shoulders.

“What...?”

“We need to smell like oil, Ray.”

“Oh. Yeah.”

“Is this all right?”

“Sure.”

With his permission, she slid her hand over his skin, trying not to dwell on what she was doing. The scent of strawberries mingled with Ray's natural scent pleasantly, and she leaned closer to take it in.

As her fingers glided over his ribs and then back up, she could see why people would do this. She had never used massage with a partner before, but the sensual touch of oily skin on skin made her feel things she certainly shouldn't when waiting to break into someone's office.

When Meg realized she was enjoying it way more than she should, she stopped abruptly and started wiping him with the towel.

“I think the scent should linger, even after I wipe off the oil.”

Without looking away from the crack, he asked, “Do you want me to do yours?”

“No.” Her answer was quick. She didn't even want to think about Ray touching her the way she had him. “You keep watching the guard. I'll just slap some on my front.”

“You sure?”

“Definitely.”

She turned around and crossed the room. With her back to Ray, she started unbuttoning her pajama top. She was even almost able to tell herself that her hands weren't shaking.


	9. Chapter 9

“I can't believe we spent two hours waitin' for that guard to go to the candy machine, and we got nothin' to show for it,” Ray commented grumpily when they got back to their room.

The smell of strawberries followed them in, and Meg was sure she'd never be able to wash it off.

“Not even Fraser's that organized,” she agreed. “She didn't have one thing out of place.”

They had searched every corner of Carr's office, and all they found was information about the spa. The only thing even remotely personal was a small picture of a smiling child.

“What a wasted night.” Ray flopped down on the couch.

“Yes.” She ran a tired hand over her eyes. “I'm exhausted, but I don't know if I can sleep. I feel as if I've had ten cups of coffee.”

“Wired. Yeah, me too.” He ran his fingers over his ribs and frowned. “And oily.”

“That too.”

“We're gonna be dead tomorrow. It's almost five.”

“Maybe a hot shower will be soothing enough to help us sleep.”

Ray waved a hand. “You go ahead. I'm gonna see if I can find somethin' mind numbing to watch.”

“Please, no porn,” she said tiredly.

He flashed her a smile.

“Ray.”

“I'll stick in one of the boring chick flicks. Any of 'em are guaranteed to bore me to sleep.”

She nodded to him and stumbled to the bathroom. Her body protested even being vertical, but her mind raced around like a hamster on a wheel.

The spray felt good as it washed away the grit of the day and most of the scent of strawberries, but it didn't relax her. She just kept thinking about Juliet and Lily Carr and wondering what the scene she'd seen between them meant. And she thought about Ray. She tried not to, but fatigue had blurred her barriers and she found herself wondering what it would have felt like if she'd given in to temptation and allowed him to apply her oil.

When she came back into the main room, Ray was still digging through videos.

“I can't pick one of these,” he said in exasperation. “I'm gonna shower. You pick.”

Meg stopped rubbing her hair with her towel and replied, “Okay.”

Ray got up and grabbed the clean pajama bottoms he had set on the coffee table. Fatigue continued to pull at Meg when she settled in his place on the floor. Movie titles blurred in front of her, and she blinked hard so she could read them. She didn't watch a lot of romantic movies, but there were a couple that she recognized.

Finally, she pulled one out at random, knowing it didn't matter if she liked the movie or not, considering its purpose was to lull her into sleep.

She shoved the movie in the VCR and painfully dragged herself to her feet and dropped on the couch to wait for Ray. She curled her legs up underneath her and got comfortable.

“Did you find somethin'?”

“Is _Romancing the Stone_ okay?”

“It doesn't matter to me. Goin' to bed?”

She shook her head. “I feel too restless to lie down. Can I sit with you?”

“Sure.”

“Unless you want to lie down...”

He waved this away. “It's fine. Press play.”

Ray threw his towel in the corner, which normally would have annoyed her, and sat beside her with his feet on the coffee table.

“I actually like this movie,” Meg commented as she pressed the play button. “The main character finds an inner strength she didn't know she possessed, and she does what she needs to do to keep her family safe.”

“Isn't the guy a bit of a jerk?”

“You've seen it?”

Ray shrugged. “Date movie.”

“I admit I would have decked him in the beginning, but he loved her.”

Ray laughed.

“What is it?”

“Go around deckin' many men, Inspector?”

She was too tired to correct him. “Not normally, but I make some exceptions.”

“I heard you slugged an FBI agent.”

Meg looked at him in surprise. “You heard that?”

“It's practically legend. Ford's an ass.”

“He called me darling,” she said darkly.

“Darling?”

“He treated me as if I were inferior because I am a woman.”

“I bet he didn't do that again.”

She poked him. “Don't you forget it.”

“No chance of that.”

Meg turned to the TV with a smirk on her face, remembering how satisfying it had been to feel Ford's nose giving way under her hand. Sometimes, she regretted the things she did when she finally gave in to anger, but that wasn't one of them.

XXX

Meg came to awareness feeling warm and safe but disoriented. She groggily snuggled deeper into her blanket only to discover it was moving slightly.

Shock jerked her completely awake, and she realized that she was sitting up and her blanket was actually living and breathing. Soft skin rested against her cheek and her hand. Someone else's hand slowly caressed the skin of her stomach under her pajama top.

Her breath caught as she made her groggy mind remember. Ray. It was Ray. The two of them must have fallen asleep watching the movie and the cuddling must have happened after.

She could feel his cheek against her hair, and one of her knees was draped over his thigh. If she wouldn't have been so embarrassed, she would have been too comfortable to move.

For a couple more breaths, she concentrated on the way his fingers trailed over her skin, enjoying the warmth that spread out from them.

“Ray,” she said quietly, not wanting to wake him, “are you awake?”

To her relief, she didn't get an answer. If he woke and found them wrapped around each other like this, she would die.

Slowly, she released his waist and drew back her knee. As she did, his hand stopped caressing and his arm grew tighter around her. Her own hand, the one that had been resting on his ribs, she slipped under her shirt and put on top of his. Softly, she stroked his fingers until his grip loosened and she could pull his arm away from her body. The movement caused him to shift, and she was able to awkwardly slip away.

After putting his arm gently at his side, she looked down at Ray. He seemed boyish in sleep. She suppressed an urge to touch him again and turned to look at the alarm clock.

Her mouth dropped open. It was a couple of minutes past noon. She and Ray had missed the “Finding time for You with Kids” presentation and the time she had planned on showing him the basics of horseback riding. In fact, they were supposed to be meeting Alex, Harrison, Susie, and Jake in the cafeteria for lunch in less than an hour.

“Ray,” she said sharply.

“Hmn?” He made a sleepy sound.

“Wake up, Ray.” When he didn't answer, she shook him slightly. “You need to get up.”

“Was goin' on?” he mumbled.

“We overslept.”

He opened his eyes and looked up at her in sleepy confusion. It took a second for his gaze to focus. When it did, a slow, easy smile came to his face.

“Mornin'.”

“Don't mornin' me. We forgot to set the alarm. It's after twelve.”

“What?”

“Noon! It's past noon. We missed the presentation this morning.”

He rubbed his eye and shrugged. “So? We don't have kids.”

“That's not the point, Ray.”

“They'll just think we stayed in bed to do newlyweddy things.”

Meg thought about the way she woke and quickly snatched her hands away. “Get up, Ray. By the time I get out of the bathroom, I want you to be bright eyed and bushy tailed.”

Annoyance and then amusement went over his face. “Yes, sir.”

XXX

“So, where were you this morning?” Susie Adair asked as Ray and Meg settled at the table with their lunches. There was a teasing note to Susie's voice and a twinkle in her eye.

Alex smiled in amusement and Harrison waggled his eyebrows, but Jake ignored them all.

“Well, you know,” Ray replied, “things come up. Isn't that right, sweetheart?”

He ran his fingertips over the back of her wrist. Meg glanced at him, then at Susie.

“Yes.” Her tone was deadly serious, but then she gave Susie a small, secretive smile.

“Don't worry,” Harrison told her. “You weren't the only ones missing from the presentation.”

“Oh?” Meg asked. “Who else?”

Ray was expecting him to say Ryanne and Michael, since they were up so late and they were never on time for anything, but Harrison said, “Steven and Juliet.”

“Any idea what happened to them?”

“Maybe something came up for them too.”Jake Adair's voice was gravelly and rough, as if he didn't use it often. He was actually a scary man and, if Ray hadn't seen his file, he would have pegged him as McKnight's accomplice at the start.

His unexpected comment surprised a laugh from Ray. “Maybe you're right.”

Or maybe Steven had been doing something that he shouldn't have. Ray mentally kicked himself for oversleeping. If he and Meg had been alert, maybe they could have discovered why the McKnights were missing with their own eyes.

“Did you see the notice on the bulletin board?” Susie asked, moving on since Steven and Juliet's movements meant nothing to her.

“Notice?” This was Meg.

“Yeah. We're having a big battle of the sexes softball game a week from Saturday.”

Jake snorted, and Ray asked incredulously, “Girls against guys?”

“Yup.”

“That's nuts.”

Alex stopped chewing her sandwich to say, “Not so nuts. It should be a blast.”

Jake snorted again.

Ray grinned and asked, “Will there be bets? I could use a back rub...or a foot rub...or a...”

Meg reached over and clapped a hand over his mouth. “I don't think they need to hear where you want to be rubbed, Ray.”

“I'd like to see the men wear skirts.” Susie laughed and patted her husband on the thigh.

“Not gonna happen,” Jake rumbled, patting her back.

“I don't know,” Meg commented, her hand still over Ray's mouth. “It could be fun.”

He licked her skin, and she squeaked and dropped her hand. “Only if you girls shave your heads if you lose.”

“You wish,” Alex said.

“Yeah,” Susie agreed. “A dress only lasts 'til you take it off. A shaved head lasts weeks.”

“We have a week to come up with terms,” Meg commented sensibly, tugging on Ray's earlobe. He assumed it was punishment for licking her palm.

“You might want to practice some,” Jake suggested.

Harrison had been extremely quiet, so his wife asked, “Is something wrong?”

“I suck at softball,” he said quietly.

“That's okay, honey,” Alex told him fondly, affectionately ruffling his hair, “I'll help you practice.”

XXX

“I still can't believe we're playing softball. This is turning into summer camp for adults,” Meg commented as they entered their room that evening. The game was all anyone had talked about all day as husbands and wives began baiting each other.

“I'm pretty sure summer camp never had some of the stuff we're supposed to do while we're here.” Ray grinned at her.

“Oh, please,” she said, rolling her eyes.

“I think you just don't want to lose.”

“Lose?” Meg was kicking off her sandals but stopped to blink at him in astonishment. “I don't think we're going to lose.”

“C'mon. Girls against the guys? There's no way you'll win.”

Meg frowned, suddenly annoyed. “Are you sexist, Ray?”

“Nah. I just know how it is.”

“So, your wife can make more than you, but she can't play softball?”

He just shrugged.

“You do know that Casey plays on her college team and both Alex and I have several years of softball experience?”

“You?” His eyes widened.

“I played from grades eight to thirteen, plus, I was on the RCMP charity team at my first posting. Before I was assigned to Chicago, I was playing in a local league every summer. I have an ERA of 1.3 over thirty games.”

He looked as if she had slapped him. “You're kiddin'.”

She returned his shrug. “Why would I lie?”

“But, you're...you're so...” He trailed off, and she lifted her eyebrows, daring him to continue.

With narrowed eyes, she asked, “So what?”

She waited to see what he'd say. The possibilities rolled in her head. Unathletic....clumsy...weak...girly.

“Ladylike,” he grunted, turning his gaze away. “You can't play softball in business suits.”

“You think that's all I ever wear? I own shorts, Ray. I own a bathing suit. The shirt I wore at the bonfire the other night came from my own closet. I'm a police officer, for God's sake.”

Meg had no idea why Ray's words bothered her. After all, she worked hard to be that elegant, ladylike woman the Inspector appeared to be. Still, there was more to her than that. They had been in constant company for two weeks; he should have been able to see she was more than a diplomat and an administrator by now.

His eyes came back to hers. “It's okay to be ladylike.”

“It doesn't matter. Did you find out what the McKnights were doing today?”

Ray put his hand on her shoulder. “Hey.”

She shrugged it off. “The McKnights?”

“No.” He sighed. “You?”

“Nothing. No one saw them today. I talked to all the women.”

“Maybe they really were in their room having sex all day. You know how Juliet feels about her snuggly.” Ray rubbed at a knot of tension in the back of his neck.

“I wish we knew for sure. This could be an important piece of information.”

“We've got time. There's still ten more weeks left. If there's anything to see, we'll see it by then.”

Meg knew he was right, but it didn't make it any less frustrating. Not really wanting to talk to him anymore, she said, “I'm going to get a cup of coffee.”

He didn't follow her.


	10. Chapter 10

“I can't do this,” Ray grumbled as they approached the stables. “You were supposed to show me how so I wouldn't make a fool of myself.”

He was feeling cranky and miserable at the prospect of getting so close to such a large animal.

Meg, on the other hand, looked radiant. There was so much light shining from her face that he could hardly look at her. He didn't want to notice how beautiful happiness made her.

“You can talk to a room full of people about our honeymoon, but you can't get on a horse?”

Even now, as nervous as he was, the thought of how embarrassed she'd been when he'd talked about not leaving their hotel room made him smirk.

“Besides,” she continued, “it's as much your fault as mine that we slept through the only opportunity we had for a trial run.”

“I bet Connor's ridden a horse before,” he grumbled.

“I'm sure there will be instruction, Ray. Relax.”

“Easy for you to say. You're a whatchamacallit.”

Her face was serious but her eyes smiled. “A Mountie?”

“Yeah, and one of those things, you know, with the arrows.”

“I have no idea what you're talking about.”

“They're on those astronomy things. You know, the men with hooves.”

She thought about this for a moment before asking, “Do you mean a centaur?”

He didn't know what they were called. “I guess so. You were probably born ridin'.”

“You'll be okay. Don't worry about it.”

“Hey, guys. Ready to ride?”

Ray turned to see Connor and Tess Rose. He had always thought the two of them were rather mismatched because Connor was strikingly handsome and outgoing while his wife was rather plain and reserved. Still, they spoke to each other in a way that showed deep affection.

“My husband's a little nervous about getting on a horse,” Meg said easily.

“I've never been,” he admitted reluctantly.

“Yeah, it was my first time last week, too,” Connor told him. “It's not too bad.”

“Meg rides really good.”

“Well, the groom gives a good lesson before you go out, then we take it really slow when there are beginners in the group.”

“I offered for him to ride with me,” Meg said, “but he thought it would be too distracting.”

Tess eyed Ray. “More like he'd be embarrassed to hold onto you like a child while you did all the work.”

Meg chuckled and pinched his ribs lightly. “Is that true, sweetie?”

“What I said is that you would be too distracted with me holding you so close,” he replied, poking her back.

“That might be interesting. Are you sure you don't want to try?”

A picture came to Ray's mind of the two of them riding, her nestled between his thighs and his hands in inappropriate places. The suddenness and clarity of it took him completely by surprise. He cleared his throat and tried to answer, but the words died on his lips. Someone was coming out of the barn.

He reached over and took Meg's arm, pulling her close. “I think I'd rather just take you back to the room.” He pretended to kiss her jaw and whispered softly, “Do you see him?”

She didn't answer, but he felt her stiffen. Ray took that as a sign she had also seen Steven McKnight coming out of the stable, alone. Juliet was nowhere in sight.

“Later, Ray,” Meg said, pulling away from him. “I want to ride.”

Connor looked at his watch. “We'd better get to it or we'll be late.”

Ray took Meg's hand and they followed Connor and Tess to the barn. All the way, Ray was wondering why Steven had been there without Juliet.

Inside, they found the groom, Emerson Fluke, talking to that creepy kid who had been trying to undress Meg with his eyes almost a week before. Ray's gaze narrowed when he saw Billy.

“This is going to be fun,” Meg announced, turning to Ray and pressing against him.

“If you say so.”

She brought her face in close and whispered, “Do you think Steven was talking to one of them? Both of them?”

“That's what I'm wonderin',” he mumbled back.

“You can do this,” she said more loudly. Then, she kissed him.

Ray grabbed her before she could pull away, prolonging the contact. She tasted good, felt good.

He only held her a couple of seconds, though instinct encouraged him to deepen the kiss. Letting her go was almost a physical ache.

“Just remember I'm doin' this for you, sweetheart.” He trailed his fingertips gently down her face.

Ray felt more than heard Billy push past them as he left. Meg moved away, and he wrenched his mind from their brief kiss. At least this time, he'd been expecting the jolt of it, and he felt almost normal as they approached the groom.

His thoughts immediately went to McKnight, Fluke, and Billy. He wondered what had happened in the barn before they arrived. Ray was glad he had something more to think about than getting on a horse.

XXX

Meg sat down next to Ray, not knowing what to expect. Her schedule said the hour was for intimacy therapy, and she really didn't like the sound of it. It was bad enough that they had to talk about their feelings with Shawn Burton and endure group therapy. How was she going to survive talking about her and Ray's fictitious sex life?

“Good morning.” Joshua Fossen smiled at them as if they were children. “I trust you had an excellent session with Shawn.”

“It was fine,” she told him, faking an answering smile.

“Good. Good. You'll find the sharing you do with Shawn will make your relationship stronger.”

“And with you?”

“My job is to help you figure out how to keep the intimacy in your marriage.”

Ray slipped his arm around her shoulders. “We have no problem with intimacy, Doc.”

“Intimacy is not just about sex, Raymond. It's about closeness. Bodies. Hearts. Minds. Both heat and tenderness. Finding out what you find attractive about each other and remembering it throughout your years together.”

“I'm sure these sessions will be enlightening,” Meg said diplomatically, patting Ray's thigh right above his knee.

“Don't worry, Doc,” Ray agreed. “I'm ready to listen...and talk.”

“I'm pleased to hear that. I consider these sessions among the most important you'll have here at Couples' Haven.”

And probably the most painful, Meg thought.

“For our first session, I'd like us to discuss attraction, what you find sexy about your partner.”

She held back a groan and kept the smile plastered on her face.

“Raymond, would you like to start?”

“Uh...”

“Don't worry. There's no right or wrong answer. Just share some things you find sexy about Megan.”

Ray cleared his throat and squeezed her shoulder, letting her know he was as uncomfortable about this as she was.

“Look at her, everything about her is sexy.”

“Like what, Raymond?”

“Have you seen her legs? She has the most amazin' pair of legs I've ever seen.”

The therapist nodded. “Go on.”

Ray ran a hand over his face in thought, and Meg hoped he wasn't going to say something stupid.

“Her skin.”

“What about her skin?”

“Like now,” Ray said, motioning towards her but not quite meeting her gaze. “See the space in between the bottom of her shirt and her jeans? The pieces she thinks are hidden but aren't are as sexy as hell.”

Meg felt her face coloring. She hadn't realized her stomach was showing. She tugged at the hem of her shirt.

Ray trailed his fingers over the strip of skin softly. “Leave it, sweetheart.”

Her stomach clenched at the contact, and she swallowed hard. She wished Ray wouldn't throw himself quite so far into his role.

“How about one more thing?” Joshua asked.

“I could list a million things,” Ray answered easily.

He paused, as if wondering which one to pick. Meg forced herself to keep her gaze on his face, when what she really wanted to do was run screaming from the room.

“She has this smile,” he finally continued. “It's so wicked that it should be be illegal. When I see it, I'm a goner.”

“Very good, Raymond.” Joshua beamed. “What are the sexy things about Raymond that you'd like to share with him, Megan?”

Both pairs of men's eyes were suddenly on her, and Meg wanted to sink through the sofa. Instead, she searched Ray's face, wondering what she should say. What did she find sexy about him?

“I like Ray's hands,” she forced out, remembering she had said this before.

“What do you find sexy about Ray's hands?”

She picked up Ray's free hand so she wouldn't have to look at him and studied it. Acutely embarrassed, she kept her voice steady.

“They can be strong, and they can be tender, and I like the way..” she cleared her throat, “...the way they touch me.”

“That's a great start. What else?”

Meg absently traced Ray's fingers with hers as she debated what to say.

“His hair,” she said quietly. “When he first gets up in the morning or just gets out of the shower. It's messy, but a sexy kind of messy, one you want to put your fingers in.”

“And one more thing?”

She looked up from Ray's hand and her eyes settled on his face. His expression was encouraging rather than amused, which helped.

“He stands up to me, argues with me, challenges me.” She turned her gaze from Ray to Joshua. “I'm used to being in charge. As an...um...professor, I'm the boss. Having him assert himself sometimes drives me mad, but it's also appealing. It's not the anger that's attractive, it's knowing that he's not intimidated by me, that he can see me as a person not just as a figure of authority.”

“Wonderful!” Joshua announced encouragingly. “Now, tell me, what is the sexiest thing you've ever seen Ray wear?”

“I beg your pardon?”

“What clothes do you find most attractive on him?”

Meg thought about this. There was no way she was going to say the first answer that popped into her head. Ray did not need to know how much she enjoyed seeing him after a shower, wearing just a towel.

She swallowed, driving the picture from her mind, and answered, “I like when he gets all dressed up. There's just something about seeing him in a tux.”

Meg didn't think she had actually ever seen him dressed up, even for their two date nights he'd worn jeans and a nice shirt, but it seemed like a safe answer.

She saw Ray smirk slightly at her answer. He knew she was playing it safe.

“And Raymond? What do you find sexiest on Meg?”

“You mean besides nothin' at all?”

The therapist smiled tolerantly. “Yes.”

Ray's gaze traveled slowly down Meg's body.

“Flannel pajamas,” he said eventually. “My wife makes flannel the sexiest thing on the planet. Everything's covered and it drives me crazy.”

Meg stared at him in disbelief. Even he should have been able to come up with something better than that.

“Excellent,” Joshua told them, writing furiously on a pad. Meg was too far away to see what he was writing, and that annoyed her. He wrote for almost five minutes. She looked at Ray uncertainly, but he just winked at her and squeezed the hand that was still holding his. With nothing else to do, she sighed and forced herself to relax against him.

Eventually, the therapist continued, “Now, I'd like to talk to you about your assignment this week. Considering your newlywed status, these weekly assignments should be easy for you, but they are still important.”

Meg grit her teeth and prepared herself to listen to what she was supposed to do with Ray in the week ahead.

XXX

As they walked back to their room after a very strange session with Joshua Fossen, Ray was congratulating himself on getting through it. He hated sitting there, being forced to think about things he'd been trying to block out. The feel of Meg's skin. The way she looked when she got up in the morning. The temptation to touch and taste that slice of abdomen that always seemed to escape.

Meg had been unusually quiet since they left their session, and Ray was curious as to what was on her mind. Still, he didn't want to push. She had been uncomfortable enough talking to Fossen to grab onto his hand as if it were a lifeline.

“Flannel pajamas?” she suddenly asked, her expression incredulous. 

Ray shrugged. “They were the last thing I saw you in.”

She rolled her eyes. “No one looks sexy in flannel pajamas.”

Ray thought about skin revealed when she was reaching for something, the way the flannel molded to her body and suggested the lushness underneath, the desire to pop the buttons one by one to reveal more creamy skin, the contrast between casual dress and serious features. The images tumbled through his mind.

“You do.” The words slipped out before he could stop them.

Meg's eyes widened and she froze. “What did you say?”

Defiantly, he answered, “I said you do.”

Her face reddened, and the surprised look she gave him was almost amusing. “I do?”

“Very,” he told her, enjoying how her blush deepened.

“I think you're teasing me again,” she said, turning away to continue back to the room.

“Think what you want,” he mumbled to himself as he followed her.


	11. Chapter 11

The week went by slowly, and it was Thursday before they even got to spend any time with Steven and Juliet. It was for couples' cribbage, which Meg thought was a strange activity for bonding.

“So, how have you been this week?” Meg asked as she counted the points in her hand.

“We've been really busy,” Juliet gushed, appearing to choose a card at random to throw away. “This place is wonderful.”

“I was hoping the four of us could go for a swim or something.” She frowned at her hand. It was garbage.

“How about Sunday?” Steven asked, tossing his card on top of Juliet's.

“That sounds good.” She finally chose a six of clubs and put it with the others. “I wanted to talk to you, Juliet, about that designer you mentioned. What was her name?”

“Natalia Rebarcher. Her stuff is amazing.”

“Is her clothing line available in Canada?” Meg glanced at Ray and saw his eyes starting to glaze over. She subtly kicked him under the table.

“I'm not sure. When it is, you should definitely try her.”

“Hey,” Ray said casually to Steven, cutting off the designer talk. “Do you know anything about that gofer kid they've got at the office? Eight.”

“Fifteen. Move the peg, babe. What gopher kid?”

“No idea what his name is. Small. Blond.”

Meg carefully watched Steven's face as she said, “Seventeen.”

It didn't change as he replied, “I don't think I know him. What about him?”

“He was checking out my wife.” Meg couldn't tell if the annoyance in his voice was real or feigned. 

Steven frowned. “Did he come on to her?”

“Not yet. He just stared at her breasts. I didn't like it. Watch out for him.” He looked at Juliet's Jack and added, “Go.”

“Move the peg again, babe...Thanks for the warning. I'll keep my eye on him...Seven.”

Meg bit her lip. Steven's face was just as blank as a newly cleaned chalkboard. The kid could have been his own brother, and his expression would have revealed nothing. If she and Ray were going to learn anything, it was going to be through detective work, observation, and, possibly, Juliet.

XXX

Meg was surprised when Juliet showed up for softball practice that afternoon. She didn't seem the type to enjoy organized sports—but, then, according to Ray, neither was Meg. That knowledge still rankled, and she hoped the women crushed the men, just so she could rub it in his face.

All through choosing a captain (Alex) and assigning positions, Meg tried to pump Juliet for information. She got information, all right, but she really could have done without the intimate details of the McKnight's sex life.

Once they were in their positions, it was impossible to talk any longer. Meg stood on the pitcher's mound and looked around at the eager women's faces, and for the first time in weeks she didn't feel out of place. A slow, happy smile spread over her face.

Tess, the catcher, saw her smile and grinned in answer. It transformed her thin, serious face and made it pretty.

As Juliet, who was their extra and would be moving around the positions so everyone could have a turn at bat, moved up to the plate, Meg decided to go easy on her. Juliet held the bat as if she'd never seen one before, and she needed a jolt to her self-confidence.

Meg nodded to Tess and prepared to throw. Her smiled widened, and she felt light and beautiful and confident. This was why she played, why no matter where she was she tried to find a game. It was the only place she'd ever felt she could really be herself. She wasn't a brilliant, smart-mouthed teenager who had a Bright Future, she wasn't a cop, she wasn't a legal aide who was being intimidated into not reporting her boss for harassment. She was just Meg.

She had missed it so much.

Meg wound up and felt Megan Thatcher fall away. She had thought pretending to be her would be easy. After all, she had been pretending to be someone else for years. What she hadn't counted on was how real it would feel. The attraction had been a blow to her gut, and the ease with which she had adapted to her job of touching Ray had been terrifying. How was she supposed to stay sane with all of that?

Releasing the ball, Meg released everything else too. She was Meg Thatcher and, for just a little while, she was free.

XXX

“So, what's our next move?” Meg asked, staring down at the papers in front of her.

They had spent the past hour going over their new information in minute detail, tossing around thoughts and ideas about Lily Carr, Emerson Fluke, Billy, and everyone else in general.

The two of them were sitting on the bed because it was the easiest place to spread everything out. It was almost midnight, and it had been nearly an hour since they had heard anything in the hallway.

At her question, Ray glanced at Meg. She was leaning over to study Fluke's folder, her face full of concentration. Her plain, dark glasses were perched on her nose, and her teeth worried at her lip. As always, she was wearing distracting flannel pajamas, and she was bent ahead far enough that the top sagged a bit so he could see a shadow that hinted at the valley between her breasts.

“Huh?”

She shifted and gave him a dark look. “Next. About Fluke, especially. How do we find out if he's hiding something?”

“Do you think we should search his office like we did Carr's?” It didn't escape his notice that she had stopped making unilateral decisions and had started having discussions instead. 

“It might be a good idea.”

“Is it in the barn?”

“I don't know.”

She worried at her lip some more. “We'd have to find out.”

He dropped his eyes to the files. They didn't have one for Billy. “Do you think we should check out the kid?”

“I don't think we'll be able to break into the office again, but it won't hurt to ask about him.”

He pulled his legs up onto the bed and settled against the headboard. “Do you think they'll talk to guests?”

She shrugged. “It doesn't hurt to try.”

“Yeah.” Ray sighed tiredly. “You get anything from Juliet?”

Meg made a sound of amusement as she started gathering up the files. “It depends on how much you want to know about their sex life.”

She glanced at Ray so he waggled his eyebrows at her. “Is it kinky?”

“Some of it...Have you seen the notepad?”

Ray felt around and found it under his right thigh. He held it out to her, and their hands brushed.

“Thank you,” she said softly.

He cleared his throat. “Welcome.”

Meg got up to bring the files to the dresser, and Ray watched her in appreciation. She was grace personified, and he wondered how he had never noticed. There were so many things that he had missed when he had been narrow minded enough to think of her solely as Fraser's boss.

“This assignment is so frustrating,” she grumbled as she closed the drawer.

“Yeah.”

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“I've been thinkin'.”

“Should I be afraid?”

He chuckled and motioned her to come back to the bed. She looked wary, as if she thought it was some kind of trick.

“Have a seat.”

Meg joined him, sitting close enough that he'd only have to shift his hand to touch her. She smelled really good, and it might have been a mistake to ask her to sit beside him.

“You've been thinking?” she prodded.

“You're a good cop.”

“Yes, I am.” If she was pleased at his compliment, she gave no indication.

“You're smart. You've got good instincts. You can organize all the players in this in your head.”

“What's your point, Ray?”

“Why the hell are you runnin' a whatchamacallit and playin' nursemaid to ambassadors and kings and crap? Someone dumb can do that. You should be workin' cases.”

She studied his face, searching for something, and then turned away.

“Meg?”

“I was shot.” Her voice was so quiet, he barely heard her.

“You were shot?”

She nodded, still not looking at him. He thought back to all the glimpses he'd had of her body but couldn't remember seeing a scar.

“Where?” Ray asked gently, bothered more than he should be by something that had already happened.

She wordlessly lifted the back of her shirt. Ray leaned forward to look at the piece of skin just above her left hip. Though her skin was white, the scar was whiter. It was small and round, its shape unmistakable. He reached out to touch it but stopped just before skin met skin.

“I almost died,” she continued. “Blood loss. I went back to work earlier than recommended. They put me on desk duty.”

Meg dropped her shirt and pulled her knees up to her chest, hugging them.

“I was good at it,” she added. “As if I'd been born to it, they said: an organized mind, a way with information, good with people. They didn't let me go back. They promoted me and moved me to administration. I worked in a couple of different offices and ended up in Legal Affairs as an Aide.

'My superior liked my work...and my legs.” She grimaced, and Ray knew there was a story there. “He recommended me for another promotion, and I requested a transfer. They sent me to Chicago.”

Meg cleared her throat and shrugged, finally looking at Ray. “No big deal. I'm good at what I do.”

Ray squashed an impulse to touch her. He knew she didn't share a piece of herself easily, and he couldn't believe she had trusted him enough to share it with him.

“It's weird how life goes sometimes,” he admitted, keeping his voice natural.

“That's true. So, tell me, Ray, how did you become Ray Vecchio?”

He groaned. “Wouldn't you rather hear about _my_ gunshot wound?”

She shifted until her body was angled towards him. “You were shot?”

“Yep.” He brought his hand up to touch the faint scar on his shoulder. “Right here.”

She leaned in closer to study it. He was surprised to feel the faint brush of her fingertips against his skin.

“I wondered if that's what that was.”

“Have you been spending a lot of time staring at my shoulder?” he teased.

Meg snatched her hand back. “Of course not.”

“Relax, I'm teasin'.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Of course.”

His reasons for becoming Ray Vecchio were personal and painful. Even so, she had been so honest and open with him, and he wanted to return the favour.

“Do you really want to know how I became Ray Vecchio?”

“Yes...but only if you don't mind sharing with me.”

“Nah, but it's not very excitin'.”

“Tell me.”

“Okay,” he agreed, taking a deep breath and preparing himself to get into the drama that had been Stella. “It all started when I was thirteen...”

XXX

Despite the torture that had been group therapy, Meg was in a great mood when they gathered on the diamond for their game Saturday afternoon. They had all been given ball caps and t-shirts, red for the women and green for the men, and the t-shirts had their names across the back. She was wearing hers proudly, along with a pair of dark sunglasses she'd borrowed from Ray, and what felt like a half a bottle of sunscreen.

There was lots of excited chattering and good natured ribbing, and Meg couldn't wait to get started.

Beside her, Ray was so full of energy he was practically vibrating. He had let slip that he loved baseball as much as she loved softball. She was dying to see how good he was.

Casey Duncan was tossing a ball up and catching it with fluid grace while her husband looked scared to death. Meg had the feeling he wasn't much of an athlete.

“So, have we settled on terms?” Tess Rose asked, hooking a suntanned arm around her husband's shoulders. 

“I am not wearing a dress,” Jake Adair rumbled.

“How about foot rubs?” Lauren Rodgers asked. She somehow managed to make her t-shirt, shorts, and hat look like movie star attire. “They're always nice.”

Back in the room, Ray and Meg had made their own wager. She promised him a horror movie marathon—three movies back to back after their swim with the McKnights—and he had promised her he'd cook a dinner just for her. She wasn't sure if she'd dare to eat it, but like the thought of a man in the kitchen. To go along with the movie marathon, she had offered to give him the bed for a week, while he sweetened his with first dibs on the shower every morning.

“Are you sure the head shaving is out?” Eric asked in amusement.

“Ew!” Juliet announced. “I am not shaving my head.”

“I'll agree to the dresses,” Harrison put in, “if the women will agree to go around for the day in their underwear if they lose.” 

His wife hit him lightly. “Harry!”

“How about winners get to pick what their spouses do the whole day Sunday, not tomorrow but next week, no matter what it is,” Ray suggested, waggling his eyebrows.

“That's actually a great idea,” Alex said. “I've been trying to get Harrison to go on a hike since we got here.”

“I can think of much better uses for the time,” Eric smirked.

MariAnna, who had been relatively quiet, rolled her eyes.

“So, is it a deal?” Mark asked, his eyes twinkling. “Winners are kings—or queens—of their castles for a day?”

“Well, if I can't make him my love slave, bossing him around will have to do.” Susie Adair gave a throaty chuckle.

“Honey, I'm already your love slave.” Jake hugged her and smiled. It was the first smile Meg had ever seen from him.

Susie's face lit up almost as if she'd been given a present. Meg touched her arm briefly before turning to Ray.

“So, are you ready to lose?”

He tapped her on the nose with the tip of his finger. “You talk a good game for a girl.”

She grabbed his finger. “We'll see, won't we?”

“Yeah, I guess we will.”

XXX

Meg eyed her opposition as she came up to bat. It was the middle of the game and the score was tied. The men were no longer smiling. As soon as they realized the majority of the women could play, they had become serious and focused.

She didn't feel nervous. As a matter of fact, she felt more relaxed than she had in ages.

Gently, she tapped her bat on the ground and studied Casey at second base. Casey was a quick runner and, if Meg got any kind of hit, she could probably get at least another base. There was only one out, so the pressure was low, and Meg could enjoy her time at bat.

“I'm ready,” she announced to Eric, who was impatiently snapping the ball into his glove over and over.

He nodded grimly and prepared to pitch. The first one went wide, and Meg stayed perfectly still. She heard Michael grunt as the ball connected with his glove.

“Throw her something she can hit, why don't ya?” Casey called.

Eric paused to give her a glare before throwing the ball once more. It seemed to come at Meg in slow motion, and she knew that it was one she could hit.

When she swung, she connected so hard that her arms vibrated. She flipped the helmet off of her head so she could see to run, and her cap went flying with it.

There was a groan from the men and a cheer from the women as she set off for first base.

Meg paused and saw her ball soar right off of the field. Homerun! She laughed aloud and twirled, waving to the women in the dugout, before leisurely jogging to first base.

More laughter bubbled up inside of Meg. She loved hitting homeruns even more than she liked striking out arrogant men. She grinned at Mark as she passed him, and he gave her a small smile back.

Steven didn't look quite so happy when she passed him at second, so she cheekily winked at him. Anything was allowed in the emotion of sport, after all, wasn't it?

Ray was looking at her with shocked wonder as she approached the short stop position. She slowed her jog to a walk as he came up to her.

“Still believe I can't play?” she asked, her joy spilling out into her voice.

“Wow!”

Meg let go of her laugh at his expression and threw her arms around him in an exuberant hug. She gave him several quick kisses on the cheek and one on the mouth before releasing him to finish her journey around the bases. Casey was already doing a cartwheel over homeplate. 

“Nice hit,” Jake told her as she rounded third.

“Thanks,” she replied, soaking up the gruff man's praise.

When she reached home, Lavender Balfour gave her a huge hug. “That was amazing.”

Meg squeezed the young woman back. Over the three weeks she'd known Lavender, she'd developed a protective affection towards her.

“Now, it's your turn.”

“Oh, I don't think I could do that.”

“You don't know if you don't try, Lavender. Give it a shot.”

Meg watched the tiny redhead pick up the helmet and the bat, willing her encouragement. Putting her cap back on her head, she decided she didn't care whether they won or lost. It was a weird feeling for Meg, who was ultra competitive.

Today, it was enough just to have fun.

XXX

“I told you you'd never win,” Ray said triumphantly as they entered their room.

Meg dropped his hand, the look she gave him filled with disgust. “You won by one run, Ray.”

“We still won. I can't wait to pick out the grossest movies for us to watch tomorrow. And as for next Sunday...” He let it hang in the air.

“I don't even want to know what you're thinking.”

He gave her his most wicked smile, and she shook her head.

“That really was a great game,” he admitted. “You girls...uh...women played great.”

“Casey was everywhere, wasn't she?”

He waved this off. “I thought you were better. Remind me to never make you mad enough to throw something at my head.”

“You'll just have to stop being annoying.” She took her hat off and threw it on the coffee table. With a grimace, she ran her fingers through her hair. “Do you want to shower first?”

He studied her, noting her flushed cheeks and a bead of perspiration that was slowly trickling down the side of her face. Ray felt warm and sticky himself, but she looked so uncomfortable that he said, “No, go ahead.”

“Thanks.”

She went to the dresser and quickly took out some clean clothes.

“Oh-oh,” he said without thinking.

“What is it?”

“You burnt the back of your neck. You must have missed it with the sunscreen.”

She reached back and gently touched her skin. From her wince at the contact, Ray could tell it was already tender. “Damn.”

“When you get out, I'll put some aloe on it for you.”

“You don't have to...”

“You'll get it in your hair.”

“All right.” She gave in tiredly. “I'll just be a few minutes.”

Ray shrugged. “Take your time.”

She went into the bathroom, and Ray picked up their notebook from the bedside table where they'd left it that morning. He stared at Fluke's name, written in Meg's neat handwriting, with several circles around it. They still hadn't had a chance to sneak into his office, and every inquiry they'd made about Billy had led to a closed door. None of the employees would talk to guests about one of their own, even the low man on the totem pole.

With a sigh, Ray settled on the bed to go over their notes and theories. He bounced a couple of times when he remembered that he'd be sleeping there for the next seven nights, and Meg would have to make do with the couch.

He flipped the page when a sound made him freeze and forget all about Emerson Fluke. It was sweet and powerful and joyful, and it made the hair stand up on his arms.

Meg was singing.

Not only was she singing, she also had a beautiful voice. Until that moment, he hadn't had any idea that the Inspector could even hold a tune.

The song she was singing was soulful and seductive. Ray knew it, but he had never heard it sung the way Meg was singing it now. The words seemed to wrap around him, burrowing into his skin to get inside him.

An image popped into his mind, and he was helpless to stop it. He saw her there, in the shower, with the water pouring over her naked skin. She would be using the soap to wash the game's sweat off of her curves, and the way it caressed her body would be almost sinful.

Ray's mouth went dry, and he tried to block the picture so he could calm his body before she came back into the room. Her voice made it impossible.

He could have moved, could have gone into the hallway or into the kitchen, but he was entranced. Closing his eyes, he lay down to listen.

He told himself it was just for a minute. That was his last thought before the voice and vision that enticed him also soothed him and he fell into a deep sleep.


	12. Chapter 12

They had to wait until Saturday of the next week before they even had a chance to search Fluke's office. Nothing out of the ordinary had happened that week, and they got no further into their investigation.

After group therapy, which involved happy memories and had made Meg feel rather sad, and lunch, the two of them made it pretty obvious that they were headed back to their room. It was time for the management meeting, and Meg and Ray wanted to get into the barn—and Fluke's office—while he was away.

All was quiet as they approached the barn hand in hand. Meg was pretty sure they hadn't been seen, but appearances were everything. It had been a month and now slipping into the role of Megan Thatcher was as easy as breathing.

The barn was dark and their movements echoed in the silence. Earlier that week, they had discovered the office was in a little room at the back that didn't even have a door. First glimpses had shown them a cluttered workspace with walls full of pictures and horse equipment scattered everywhere.

There were no windows in the front of the barn, so Meg and Ray made their way back in near darkness. She let go of his hand and moved closer, slipping her arm around him without thinking.

“It's dark,” he whispered.

“Yes. Watch out for that shovel.”

“Is that why you're holdin' on to me?”

“If you break your neck, I'll have to investigate alone.”

Fluke's office had a window, small and full of grime, so it was slightly brighter than the rest of the barn. It was still dim enough that Meg took a chance and turned on the light.

“This is disgusting,” she said quietly, not even wanting to touch anything.

“Suck it up, sweetheart. This pile of crap could have what we're lookin' for.”

“I'll take the desk.”

“Chicken.”

They searched in silence, Ray going through the junk and Meg sifting through the papers on the desk. Most of them concerned horsey things, and there was a letter from someone in Fluke's family, possibly a sister. Meg glanced at everything but nothing jumped out at her.

She was about to open one of the drawers when the sound of a door made her freeze.

Ray's eyes met hers, and she saw from his startled expression that he'd heard it too. Meg immediately rushed over and snapped off the light.

Ray was right behind her, and they entered the wide hallway so, if they got caught, they wouldn't be in the office.

A light came on in the front of the barn, and a voice asked, “Is someone there?”

Footsteps came towards them, and Ray cursed quietly.

“Sorry for this,” he mumbled.

“For what?”

His hands grabbed her arms and suddenly she was being pulled sideways. She landed hard on a pile of straw, and the air rushed out of her lungs. She gasped and was about to protest when Ray was shockingly there, his body pressed on top of hers.

Meg's protests were forgotten when Ray's lips trailed urgently down her face. His chest rubbed against hers, and his hips fit against hers like puzzle pieces. Her breath caught and her heart thumped as his hand glided down her side to rest at her hip.

When his tongue touched her neck, her body clenched. Trying to remember it was fake, she buried her hand in his hair.

The light came on, stabbing into Meg's eyes. She was almost grateful for the pain.

“What the hell?”

Ray gave her neck one more lick before releasing her and rolling to the side. Meg fought to get both her breathing and her heart rate under control.

“What are you doing here?” The voice demanded belligerently.

Meg blinked to clear her eyes and saw Billy standing over them, his expression angry.

“Just trying out the hay,” Ray said easily. “I've always wanted a roll in the hay...It's a little scratchy.”

“You can't be here.”

“We're sorry, Billy,” Meg told him. “We just wanted some privacy. We knew no one would bother us here.”

He looked slightly mollified. “Well, you should go.”

Ray's eyes narrowed. “What are you doin' here?”

Billy's gaze was full of distaste as he held out a piece of paper. I have a message for Mr. Fluke. Now, you'd better get out of here before I report you.”

“We don't even get to finish our roll in the hay?”

“Ray!” Meg tapped him lightly on the back of the head.

Billy just glared at them with his arms folded. Pushing against Ray's shoulder, Meg got to her feet.

“Come on, sweetie,” she said, running her fingertips lightly against the back of his neck. “Let's go to our room. I'm sure we can find something to occupy us there.”

She reached her hand down to him, and he gripped it and hauled himself to his feet.

“We really are sorry, Billy.” Meg touched his arm briefly. “We didn't mean any harm.”

She wrapped herself around Ray, and they started for the door. She could feel Billy's eyes watching them until they moved out of his sight, into the main part of the building.

XXX

Meg woke and stretched, feeling as if she'd had her first good night's sleep in a week. The couch was comfortable but it was no bed, and she was glad she hadn't agreed to let Ray have the bed for any longer.

She wondered if Ray noticed that she hadn't changed the sheets. She told herself that she was just too tired when she climbed into them the night before, but the truth was that she was looking forward to falling asleep surrounded by his scent.

She enjoyed waking up with it almost as much. After she stretched, she just lay there with her eyes closed, soaking in the feeling of peace.

“Good mornin'.” Ray's voice nudged her the rest of the way awake, and she sighed.

Glancing at the clock, she asked, “What are you doing up this early?”

When they had nothing scheduled, Ray liked sleeping in until at least nine.

“It's Ray Day today.”

He had been calling the day he chose their activities Ray Day all week. It was starting to grate on her.

“Ray Day starts at 7:09?”

“Yup.” He sounded way too cheerful, and Meg felt her good humour deserting her.

She struggled up to see him already sitting on the couch with his ankles crossed on the coffee table. He waggled his bare feet at her.

“And what exactly does Ray Day include?”

“Lots of fun stuff.”

Meg groaned and slumped against the headboard. “Shoot me now.”

“Hey, I could have decided we would stay in our room and pretend its our honeymoon again like Eric is doing to MariAnna.” He leaned forward, his eyes laughing.

“Funny, Ray.”

“Rule number one of Ray Day...Are you listening?”

“Don't be an ass.”

His face lit up as if she'd said the most wonderful thing in the world. “You're always so cranky when you first wake up.”

Meg ran a hand over her forehead. “All right, what is the first rule of Ray Day?”

“No talkin' about the case. No mentionin' the McKnights unless we're talkin' to 'em. No Fluke, no Billy, no Lily Carr.”

“What are we supposed to talk about?”

“Fun stuff. Do you like _GhostBusters_?”

“Not especially.”

“Too bad. I found one and two in the library. We're watchin' 'em.”

“Great. What else?”

“Get dressed. You'll see.”

Grumbling, Meg got out of bed and made her way to the bathroom, determined to hate whatever Ray had planned for Ray Day.

XXX

It turned out that Ray's idea of fun was a game of volleyball with three of the other couples. Meg had no idea how Ray, Mark, Jasper, and Connor had planned it out without her knowing, unless it had been during their weekly poker game.

She and Ray had partnered with Jasper and Lavender against Mark, Lauren, Connor, and Tess. The game was close, but in the end the other team won. Mark and Lauren were like an unbeatable force.

Meg accepted the loss with good grace and, as they went back into the resort, she found her good mood had returned.

“Are we off for a mind numbing couple of hours watching _GhostBusters_?” Meg asked, swiping at the bead of sweat rolling down the side of her nose.

“You guys are watching _GhostBusters_?” Mark said, almost wistfully.

“Yup,” Ray grinned, “but not yet.”

“No?” Meg asked. “It's a little too early for lunch.”

“Aren't you feeling hot and sweaty?”

“Girls don't sweat, they perspire,” Lauren teased, giggling.

Meg smirked at her and answered, “It's probably obvious.”

He nodded. “Me and the guys thought it might be nice to soak in the hot tub before lunch. Since we're goin' together, we'll have to wear our swimsuits. Sorry.”

Lauren giggled again. She wasn't usually such a giggler, but today she was very relaxed. Meg didn't even want to contemplate why.

“And I thought you insisted I wear my bathing suit so you could watch me jump around in it during volleyball.”

His eyes swept over her, though now she had on shorts and her red “Meg” softball shirt. “That too.”

She nudged his shoulder. “Don't be silly, Ray.”

He patted her butt. “Head towards the spa.”

Meg was surprised that the gesture didn't anger her. She found it amusing instead.

As she headed to the spa, chatting easily with the others, she decided that Ray's idea of a case-free day was a good one. It was nice to put work out of her mind, even if she did have to keep on pretending to be married to Ray.

Even though they had been there a month, Meg had never been in the hot tub. There just hadn't been a reason. Already, her muscles were starting to remind her she had just come from serious exercise, and the thought of soaking in hot water was more than nice.

There were two hot tubs in the spa. One was a small, intimate one built for two that was located down the same hallway as the sensual massage room. The other was large and located beside the smaller of the two swimming pools. This is the room they went into, and everyone started pulling off the clothes they had just put on.

Meg caught Ray's eye just as she was pulling her t-shirt over her head. He was looking at her curiously—wondering if this was okay?--so she gave him a small smile and a wink. He gave her a ghost of a smile back. 

“Need any help with those shorts, sweetheart?” he asked.

“I'm sure I can manage to slip them over my hips on my own, but thanks for the offer.”

He ran a finger down her backbone, creating goosebumps, and said suggestively, “Okay. That can wait 'til later.”

Cheekily, she pinched his bare ribs. “I can't wait.”

“Hey, wait until you get back to your room, you two.” Mark laughed, following his wife into the hot tub.

Meg slipped out of her shorts and followed him, Ray close behind her. The heat seeped into her limbs as she sat, and she sighed in pleasure.

Ray sat close enough to wrap his arm around her, his side pressed to hers.

“Nice, huh?” he rumbled in her ear.

“Heaven.”

The other women started chatting about the overnight camping trip planned for week seven. Tess was looking forward to it but, apparently, the other two had their doubts. Meg closed her eyes and leaned against Ray, letting their words flow over her. When she felt him kiss her temple, she could almost tell herself that it was real.

XXX

“Great, huh?” Ray announced as the credits rolled across the screen.

When he was answered by silence, he glanced over at Meg. His partner was curled up on the other side of the couch fast asleep. Her legs were tucked up against her chest, and her cheek rested against the fabric.

Ray stopped the movie and watched her for a full minute. In sleep, all of her hard edges fell away, and her expression was soft and vulnerable.

When he realized he was staring, he shook his head and got to his feet. Quietly, he ejected the tape and put it back in its box to return the next day. He didn't bother to rewind it, not really caring if the next person to watch it would be mad at him.

Meg didn't stir and Ray wondered what he should do. He could leave her as she was—though she'd probably be sore in the morning—or stretch her out on the couch and take the bed for himself. He found he really didn't want to do that. She had seemed so happy to get the bed back, he wanted her to have it.

Ray knew he could wake her up, but he didn't really want to do that either. Impulse made him go over to the bed and flip over the blankets.

He wondered if she'd be mad for what he was about to do. It would be worth it.

Ray went over to the couch and bent over Meg. She mumbled something in her sleep, and her brow furrowed.

“It's all right, sweetheart,” he whispered very softly before taking her up into his arms.

Meg could be so stubborn, he expected her to fight him, even in sleep. Instead, she burrowed against him and sighed, her face pressed against his chest.

Ray took a deep breath, taking in her scent and letting the weight and the shape of her imprint on his body. There was a sweetness to having her in his arms that was more than just physical.

They were almost to the bed when she finally stirred, just a slight movement of her body and a little flutter of her hand against his skin.

“Was goin' on?” she mumbled. 

“You fell asleep during the movie. I'm puttin' you to bed.”

“Oh.” She sounded as if she was mostly still sleeping. “Ray?”

“Yeah?”

“I liked Ray Day.”

“Me too.”

Her breathing deepened and she fell silent. Ray waited to see if she would say any more, but it was pretty obvious she had gone back to sleep. 

Smiling fondly, he gently slid her onto the bed and pulled the covers around her. A feeling of affection made Ray brush dark strands of hair from Meg's forehead. He bent to kiss it lightly.

“Good night, my little Inspector,” he said, slightly embarrassed.

In all, he thought as he headed to the bathroom, Ray Day had been a success.


	13. Chapter 13

“We will never speak of that again,” Meg said, her face flaming, as they made their way down the hallway for their couple's massage (which Ray had learned was completely different from a sensual massage.) 

He stopped to look at her, trying to keep his face serious. She was so worked up, she might hit him, assignment or no assignment. He hid his amusement as he watched her face flush and her eyes snap.

They had just spent a very interesting hour with Joshua Fossen, having a frank discussion about their sexual preferences and fantasies. Hearing Meg's answers had been highly amusing and a bit of a turn on. Ray had refused to be embarrassed. He just let his imagination go and said whatever came into his head.

Joshua had seemed pleased with their answers and, as he ushered them out so Michael and Ryanne could come in, he encouraged them to indulge in their fantasies.

“I think that was just about the most humiliating hour of my life,” Meg continued to storm. 

“What are we talkin' about?” Ray asked, forcing an innocent expression to his face. “I forgot already.”

She stopped in mid-tirade and stared at him. Making a little strangled noise, she tromped down the hallway. Ray hoped no one would see her and think they were fighting.

By the time they got to the largest of the massage therapy rooms, he had caught up to Meg, and they were walking together. She had even taken his hand, though she still wouldn't look him in the eye. Ray wondered if intimacy therapy was going to kill her before their twelve weeks were over.

Two therapists were waiting for them when they entered. One was Nathan Scott, the man who gave the sensual massage presentation, and the other was Lily Carr. Ray wondered why the head of the spa was giving massages like a regular worker.

There was also a third person in the room. Billy Waters was handing each of them a message. Ray frowned. That kid seemed to be everywhere. Of course, his job was to be everywhere, but Ray's dislike of Billy made him suspicious.

“Are we early?” Ray asked pleasantly.

The look Billy gave him could have frozen lava. He didn't speak, just glared and hurried out of the room.

“Not at all.” Nathan put his message in the pocket of his white jacket without even reading it.

“Take a couple of robes and undress in there. Everything but your undies—this means just bottoms, Mrs. Thatcher—and we'll get started.”

“Together?” Meg asked.

He laughed. “I don't think you're going to see anything you haven't before.”

“Oh, yes...Right.”

Ray leaned down and whispered very quietly in her ear, “Don't worry, darlin'. I won't look.”

XXX

The door on the Green Room held a handmade sign that proudly proclaimed, “Couples' Trivia Challenge”.

“This must be the place,” Ray said.

He had a picnic basket full of dirty dishes and a checkered tablecloth over his arm. He and Meg were coming from a scheduled 'romantic' picnic by the stream, and he was feeling full and sleepy.

Meg, on the other hand, looked vibrant and confident. She was dressed in an elegant and feminine white sun dress covered with yellow rosebuds. It was strapless, showing off her shoulders, and the bust and the waist were both molded tightly to her body, with the skirt flaring out slightly to reach just past her knees. Her confidence didn't come from knowing how good she looked, however—Ray doubted that she even realized. It came from believing in her ability to come up with random facts from somewhere in the back of her mind. Meg might not know how attractive she was, but she knew she was brilliant and she wasn't afraid to show it. Ray intended to let her answer all the questions.

Some of their fellow guests were already at the tables scattered around the room, but Ray and Meg weren't the last to arrive. Michael and Ryanne weren't there yet, which wasn't a surprise, and neither were Steven and Juliet.

“The first round is posted on the bulletin board,” Meg said, motioning to the cork board over by the bar.

“Let's go see who you're gonna kill first,” Ray said, placing his hand on her back and guiding her across the room.

“You seem very sure of that, Ray.”

He rubbed his hand up and down in a caress. “Of course I am.”

She looked extremely pleased to be complimented on her intelligence, and Ray made a mental note to do it again.

Neither of them were wearing their glasses, so they leaned in and peered a the list.

“It's Susie and Jake.” Ray heard the delight in Meg's voice. Despite their differences, Susie—along with Alex and Lavender—was among Meg's closest friends at the resort, and they had learned not to take Jake at face value. Once you got to know him, he was actually a pretty nice guy.

They made their way over to the table where Susie was beaming.

“Hey, man.” Jake jerked his chin at Ray.

“Hey.” He gave Meg a brief hug before taking the chair opposite Jake.

“I'm terrible at this kind of stuff,” Susie confided to Meg. “If it's not about television or movies or celebrities, I'm hopeless.”

“Don't worry. It's just for fun.”

Ray leaned in. “Meg's not worried because she's the smartest person in this room.”

“Ray!”

“It's his job to believe in you.”

“Yes,” she said, a hint of surprise going over her features. “I guess it is. Thank you, Ray.”

She caressed his cheek briefly, her skin soft against his. He swallowed, the touch zinging through his veins.

“Here comes Rebecca Fossen,” Jake rasped. “She's the one assigned to our table.”

“Then let the games begin,” Ray answered.

Meg didn't answer, but her features iced over. Her Inspector face must have also been her game face. Ray was glad that this time she was on his side.

XXX

“You were amazin'!” Ray said later that evening when they were back in their room.

The tournament had taken all afternoon and most of the evening. Snacks and then dinner were served during breaks. Ray had fun in spite of himself, and he even knew some of the answers.

“We lost, Ray.”

“We didn't lose. We came in second.”

“First is winning. Second is losing.” She sounded cranky.

“Those kids are both really smart. You got stuck with me.”

She whirled on him, her eyes flashing. He actually took a step back.

“I'm tired of you always intimating that you're dumb, Ray. Good police officers are not stupid.”

“I...”

“I don't know where this is coming from, but it's irritating.”

He didn't know what to say so he just stared at her. When it was obvious he wasn't going to answer, she huffed, grabbed her pajamas, and headed for the bathroom.

Ray sighed and ran a hand down his face. Sometimes, he really didn't understand Meg. He understood her irritation at coming in second because she was so competitive, but what was that last rant about?

Deciding to drown his thoughts in mindless make believe, Ray went to the video cabinet.

“Dammit!” The growled curse made its way to Ray as he searched for a DVD that wouldn't either turn him on or make him gag.

“Problem?” he called back.

“My stupid...” She growled again, this time a wordless sound of frustration.

Ray stood, forgetting about the movie, and wondered if he should go see what was wrong. The decision was taken from him when the bathroom door flew open and Meg burst out, still wearing her sun dress. Her eyes were stormy and her face was flushed with temper. Ray wondered if he should have his head examined for thinking she looked beautiful.

“I need some help,” she snapped.

“What's the problem?”

“My stupid zipper is stuck.” She made a motion with her hands that he assumed was supposed to indicate the back of her dress.

“Stuck?”

“Yes, Ray. Stuck. Are you deaf?”

He had to fight to keep from grinning. 

“All right.” He kept his voice calm and his face neutral. “Turn around.”

She did so in an angry, jerky movement. Ray stepped closer and peered at her zipper. Some of the fabric had caught in the teeth, and it was so wedged in, it was no wonder she couldn't budge it.

“I see the problem.”

“Don't talk about it. Just fix it.”

“Yes, ma'am.” Some of his amusement leaked into his voice.

“Ray!”

He smiled and leaned in to see if he could get the teeth loose. Her hair was short enough that it wouldn't get in the way, but the bare skin of her neck and shoulders was a distraction.

He ignored the impulse to trail his fingers over them and reached forward to fight with her zipper. As he did, he was acutely aware of her body and the fact that he would be touching her intimately without an audience.

Her skin was soft as his fingertips grazed it, and he felt Meg take a sharp breath.

“Okay?” he asked.

“Yes. Please hurry.”

He began to tug the zipper and move the fabric, trying to work the teeth loose. As he did, the backs of his fingers kept gliding over her skin, making it hard to concentrate.

He loved touching her.

It was a secret he'd been trying to hide from her for weeks, knowing there was no room for it when they had a job to do. Still, he couldn't help his reaction to the silky feel of her skin. The more he touched it, the more he wanted to touch it.

Being this close, the slope of her neck taunted him, inviting playful kisses. He would love to nip at that creamy white collarbone. His fingers were tempted to uncurl and trace slowly down her arms until he made her shiver.

Ray wondered if Meg could tell his hands were shaking.

“Any luck?” she asked, looking at him over her shoulder.

“Stop wigglin'. You can go hours actin' like a statue but not five minutes waitin' for me to fix your zipper?”

“I was just asking.”

“The more I talk, the longer this is gonna take.”

“Fine.”

She stiffened and crossed her arms.

“Are you sure we can't just cut it off?” Ray asked after a minute.

“Now who's talking?”

“Okay...Okay...”

The zipper slid slightly and caught again.

“Did it work?” She was moving again.

“Hold still.” Without thinking, he put his hands on her shoulders. Quickly, he dropped them.

“Am I going to sleep in this?”

“I'll get it.” He indulged a little and gently stroked the skin in the opening he had created, doing it in such a way he hoped it felt accidental.

He worked for a few minutes in silence, getting the zipper to come down a little more.

“Ray?” Her voice was soft now, the heat gone.

“Yeah?” 

“I'm sorry for snapping at you earlier.”

Surprise made him fumble at the zipper. “It's okay.”

“No, it's not.” She paused before adding, “But I'm not sorry for thinking you're a moron if you believe you're stupid.”

XXX

Ray was feeling restless. It had been another uneventful week. They had hardly seen the McKnights, and they hadn't learned anything useful about either Lily Carr or Emerson Fluke. Their time at Couples' Haven was almost half over, and they hadn't learned anything definite. It was frustrating.

Ray had left Meg in the library reading, and he had gone for a walk around the grounds. It was a nice day, not too hot, and the exercise was starting to burn off the feeling that he should be doing something.

Hopefully, when he got back, he and Meg would be able to be in the same room without arguing. They had been snarking at each other on and off for two days until they decided they needed a couple of hours apart.

He was strolling across one of the manicured lawns, ducking behind a couple of trees, when he saw something that stopped him in his tracks.

Steven McKnight and Emerson Fluke were standing in the shade of a small outbuilding, hidden to most of the rest of the resort.

With a sharp intake of breath, Ray jumped back behind the two trees. He could just see the men through dappled leaves. Their voices floated to him, but he was far enough away that he only caught snippets of their conversation.

“...sure about this...”

“...protect...”

“...have your word...”

Steven McKnight reached into his back pocket and took out a white envelope. He handed it to Fluke and crossed his arms. There was a flash of money—lots of it—before Fluke mirthlessly nodded and shoved the envelope in his own pocket.

“...agreement...”

“...deny it...”

“...as you're told...”

Ray strained his ears but the conversation didn't get any clearer. He'd give anything to have Fraser's bat ears so he could hear what was going on. One thing was sure. He and Meg were no longer fishing in the dark. Ray had finally found their first indication that some sort of illegal activities were going on at Couples' Haven.

The men wrapped up their conversation, and Fluke went around the side of the building. Unfortunately, McKnight's long stride was headed straight for Ray.

“Crap,” he mumbled and jumped away from the trees.

He was just in time to make it look as if he had just arrived when Steven reached him.

McKnight stopped and shoved his hands in his pockets. His round face was all boyish innocence, but his blue eyes were hard. “Hey.”

“Hey,” Ray answered.

“Taking a walk?”

“Yeah. I've been all over the grounds. Apparently, Meg needed some alone time.”

“Women.”

“I know.” Ray nervously rocked back on his heals. “Where's Juliet?”

Steven grimaced. “Napping. She's not feeling well.”

“Serious?”

“Nah. Woman thing.”

Ray nodded, unsure what to say next.

“Well, see you around,” McKnight continued.

“Yeah. You too. Poker tomorrow night. It's my turn.”

“We'll see about that, Thatcher.”

“Hey, I can't lose every time, right?”

This got a short laugh from Steven. “Right. Later.”

“Later.”

XXX

Meg was draped over a loveseat in the library, completely relaxed and comfortable. Her shoulders were leaning against one padded armrest, and her ankles were propped up on the other. She was a few chapters into the book and, though she didn't usually read romance, something about the story kept her reading. When she had first found the book on the shelf, she had stared at it in disbelief. She couldn't resist taking down the white paperback with a picture of a scantily clad pool boy on the cover.

It was called _Sword of Desire_.

The main character was just starting to think about her new pool boy when Ray came in. He had a strange expression on his face, so Meg sat up and closed the book, using her thumb for a marker. They had spent the last two days snapping at each other, but she had to admit that she had missed him. She spent so much time in his company that it felt as if there were something missing when they were apart.

He closed the door behind him, and his eyes searched the large room.

“Are we alone?” he mouthed.

Meg nodded, getting to her feet. “What is it?”

“I just had an interesting encounter.” His hand restlessly raked through his hair.

“What happened?”

“I almost ran into McKnight and Fluke doing some kind of business transaction.”

“Business transaction?” She couldn't keep the excitement from her voice as she realized this might be the thing that made their assignment worthwhile.

“Yeah. I couldn't hear what they were saying, but McKnight gave Fluke a shitload of money and then warned him about somethin'.”

“You saw actual money change hands? That's great.”

“Not so great. There was a problem.”

Her body went cold. “What kind of problem?”

“McKnight saw me.”

Meg bit her lip, worry churning in her stomach. She let the import of the words sink in before asking, “Were you made?”

Ray shrugged. “I don't think so. He didn't seem suspicious. I bluffed, pretended I just got there and didn't see nothin'.”

“I hope he believed you.”

“Yeah, me t...” Voices approached the library, and Ray trailed off.

Meg touched her finger to her lips and prepared to sit back down as the voices arrived just outside the door. An odd look went through Ray's eyes, and she wondered what he was thinking.

“C'mere,” he said gruffly, dropping to the loveseat and pulling her with him.

Meg landed on his lap rather than the cushion. This was obviously his intention because his arms immediately went around her and held her close. She fit perfectly there against his chest with her legs over his. By the time the door opened, her heart was thudding, and Meg wasn't sure if it was the sudden fall or the way Ray held her that caused it.

“There's got to be something in here worth watching,” Mark Rodgers commented as he came into the room, followed by his wife and Casey and Stewart Duncan.

“At least something that won't make my honey cry or embarrass him to death,” Casey agreed. “Maybe some gross vampire flick or something.”

“Vampires? I don't know, Case...Oh, hi.” Stewart stopped and smiled shyly at Meg and Ray.

“Hi,” Ray answered absently, fiddling with the bottom of Meg's shirt. “How was the ride?”

The four of them had gone biking at Sarah Lynn's command.

“It was exhausting.”

“But fun.” Casey affectionately ruffled Stewart's hair.

“I'd definitely do it again,” Mark added.

“Mark, honey,” Lauren said patiently, “they don't care. They just want to get back to what they were doing.”

Mark eyed them curiously. “What are you doing?”

“Reading,” Ray said easily.

Meg suddenly remembered the book in her hand and waved it at them. Ray's arms tightened around her in a brief hug, and he gave her a quick but soft kiss on the cheek.

“Reading?”

“Yes,” Meg answered, building on Ray's story. “Don't you read this way?”

“No.”

“It's very nice.” Her voice was warmer than she intended because Ray had decided to get creative. He was running his hand gently across the top of her thigh. It was thoroughly distracting.

“Then we'll leave you to it. We'll just be over there in the video section. Don't do anything embarrassing.”

Ray chuckled, a pleasant vibration against Meg. “We're just readin'.”

Mark winked, and he and the others headed across the room to the videos. Meg had no option but to start reading, so she sighed and settled more comfortably on Ray's lap.

Trying not to breathe in the scent of Ray's aftershave or to feel the warmth of him that seeped into her even through their clothes, Meg began to read. “Morgan's eyes swept over the pool boy, knowing there was something different about him. Maybe it was the arrogance in his posture or the fluid grace he couldn't hide when he moved...”

As Meg read, Ray began to slowly caress her spine. The simple touch made her whole body tingle and her stomach clench. She both wanted him to stop and was afraid he would. His hand slipped under her shirt to the skin just above her hips. Warmth radiated out from his fingers and her voice nearly faltered.

“You read good,” he said quietly, the words barely more than a rumble against her. For some reason, his compliment—pitched low so the others couldn't hear—pleased her.

The pleasure of his words relaxed her and she let herself enjoy his touch as she continued to read.


	14. Chapter 14

Monday brought with it another regular therapy session, another intimacy therapy session, and no answers about why McKnight was paying off Fluke. Meg and Ray had been tossing around ideas on how they could find out. Confronting Fluke seemed like the only practical option, but it wasn't something they were willing to do yet. The last thing they wanted to do was tip their hand to McKnight at this point.

Still, knowing that something was going on put both of them in a much better mood. Meg had almost even been able to relax when talking about sex with Ray as if it were an every day occurrence. Or at least she'd been able to look in the general direction of his face.

They were scheduled for water skiing after lunch, so after their session, they went back to the room to change into their bathing suits.

Meg went first, and when she came back to the room she found Ray lying on the bed with _Sword of Desire_ in his hands. He had the book open to the place she where she had left a spa pamphlet as her bookmark, and Meg felt a flash of horror when she remembered what was happening in the book when she left it the night before.

“No wonder women read this stuff,” Ray commented, glancing up.

Meg raised her chin. “I don't know what you mean.”

“I mean, the man's got his hand between her legs and his lips...”

“Ray!”

“Hey, I didn't write it...and women complain about men and porn. Listen to this...”

“No.” She moved forward to snatch it from his hands, but he jerked it away.

“I never would have expected my prim and proper Inspector to read stuff like this: 'Morgan moaned as...'”

“Stop, Ray.” She made another lunge, but Ray rolled away and onto his feet.

“This is the part you should have read in the library, Meg. It's way more excitin'.”

“Give me the book,” she said calmly, crossing her arms.

“No way. I've got to see what happens.”

“I'm sure you know what happens.”

“Maybe not. Let's see.” He read a little, and a grin came over his face. “She's really enjoying herself.”

“Ray, please.”

“Why do you want the book so bad?

Because she was embarrassed to be caught reading a sex scene. Because she didn't want to think of Ray and sex together any more than she had to. Because the thought of Ray thinking about sex made her highly uncomfortable.

“Just give it to me.”

“You want this book?” He waved it in front of her nose. “Then come get it.”

“Stop teasing me,” she demanded coldly.

He turned his back on her and walked across the room reading aloud. Meg held her position as the pool boy kissed his way down Morgan's body. When he reached the inside of Morgan's thigh, Meg cracked.

She quickly closed the distance between her and Ray and grabbed for the book. He anticipated the move, and Meg got a handful of air. She grabbed again, and he danced to the side.

“Hey!” She put both arms around him so he couldn't move, but he threw his own arms in the air. She'd have to release him to reach above their heads. “Dammit.”

He chuckled as she released him and made a little hop. He scooted and, once again, her hands closed on nothing.

“I'm going to kill you,” she said evenly, though she wasn't angry anymore.

“You have to catch me first.”

“I hope you don't think you can outrun me, Ray.”

“We'll see now, won't we?”

She flew at him before the words were out of his mouth. Her fingers caught a handful of t-shirt, but it was wrenched away as he dove sideways.

Meg lunged after him but missed again. She suddenly realized that she was playing. Serious Meg Thatcher who always had to be dignified and aloof because that was what was expected of her. It had been so long that she thought she had forgotten how to play, but here she was.

Grinning widely, she darted at Ray again, hooking her fingers in the back of his shorts.

“Hey, if you wanted to rip my clothes off, you just had to ask.”

“In your dreams,” she said, tugging on them to pull him off balance.

He didn't lose his balance, but his shorts did start to slip down, so she let go.

“Chicken,” he taunted, once more diving out of reach.

She growled and threw herself at him, hitting him hard. He grunted and toppled, and she toppled with him.

“Never fight with me. I always win,” she told him, reaching for his hands, which were over his head.

Triumphantly, she grabbed the book and froze as she realized that she was lying on top of Ray, her hips pressed to his, and their legs tangled together. She cleared her throat and moved tentatively, the exposed skin of her stomach brushing his where his t-shirt had come up in the fall.

Ray's hand quickly went down to curl around her hip, holding her in place.

“Don't wiggle,” he said, his voice sounding slightly strained.

Meg forced herself to meet his gaze. His free hand came up and gently touched her face, his thumb caressing her cheek. Meg's breath caught.

“Ray?”

He abruptly dropped his hand and rolled to the side, displacing her, though his hand was still at her waist.

“So, you're sure you don't want to finish this book together?” he asked, finally releasing her and getting up.

She let him help her to her feet. “I'm sure.”

“That's too bad.”

XXX

“So, are you relaxed?” Ray asked, his breath brushing her ear.

Meg opened one eye to look at him. “Yes. Why, am I not supposed to be?”

The two of them were sitting in the small hot tub, as scheduled, enjoying the bubbles and not touching.

“Just askin'. I'm bored.”

“You're bored? How can you be bored? Let the bubbles lull you into relaxation, Ray.”

“I don't feel like relaxin'.”

“Well, do it anyway.”

“Bubbles aren't my thing.”

Meg sighed, sinking lower. “They're definitely mine.”

“That bubble bath fantasy, huh?”

Meg's eyes flew open, and she straightened, no longer relaxed. “What did you say?”

“The soap...and the bubb...Ow!” 

She cut him off by giving his shoulder a firm slap. “I told you I never wanted to speak of that...”

This time she was cut off. It was by a terrified scream coming from outside the room.

Meg saw Ray's eyes widen and knew she must look just as shocked. As one, they got to their feet and clamored from the hot tub.

“Be careful, it's slippery,” she said absently as they made their way to the door.

There were people in the hallway, all hurrying towards the scream. Meg saw several of the therapists from the spa, the exercise expert from the gym, Eric and MariAnna, and Harrison and Alex.

“Where did that come from?” Meg asked Alex as they rushed by the guard's desk.

“The pool, I think. It sounded like Susie.”

By the time they reached the room, the door was thrown open. Meg pushed passed the people who had gotten there first to see Susie standing white faced, her large eyes staring at the pool.

Meg followed her gaze to see Jake hauling a limp form out of the water. She blinked in surprise as she recognized the dark features and slim body of Lily Carr.

“Susie,” she said, taking her friend's arm, “what happened?”

Susie's eyes never left her husband as he started to give CPR to Lily. “We came in here for a swim. Skinny dipping...it's scheduled...”

“And?”

She swallowed. “When we came in, Lily was floating there, face down...” A sob caught in her throat, and Alex put her arm around her for a quick squeeze. “Oh, God...I hope she's not dead.”

“She must have fallen,” Harrison said lowly. “Maybe she hit her head.”

Or maybe she was pushed, Meg thought grimly, meeting Ray's eyes. He nodded slightly, and she knew he was thinking the same thing.

XXX

Susie and Jake had been on time to save Lily Carr, and the Fossens were saying it was an accident. Carr was in a coma and couldn't confirm or deny the truth of this. The police came in—strictly as a formality, they were told—and started interviewing guests and employees.

Everyone waited their turns in their rooms, and Ray paced as he waited with Meg.

“We shoulda been able to stop this,” he said angrily.

“I don't see how.” Meg sat at the edge of the bed with her legs crossed and her hands folded on top of her knee.

“We knew there was somethin' goin' on.”

“Yes, but we didn't know what. We can't read McKnight's mind, Ray.”

“It was him, wasn't it?”

“I think so,” she admitted. “I wish we could get down there and search for evidence.”

“Yeah. This sucks.”

She looked down at her hands. “It does indeed.”

“So, what are we gonna do?”

Meg shrugged. “There's not much we can do, Ray. The evidence is going to be taken by the local police. We won't have access to it. We can go see if they missed something, but...”

“Dammit!” he exploded, kicking the coffee table.

“Feel better?”

“No. Toe hurts.”

“I thought it might. Sit.”

“I can't.”

“Ray.” Meg got to her feet and went over to him. Taking his hand, she tugged him over to the bed. “Sit.”

“I'll just get back up again.”

“We have to decide what to do.”

She sat and he sat beside her, their hands still twined together.

“Go over and kick Emerson Fluke in the head until he coughs up what's goin' on?”

“I was thinking maybe I should cozy up to Billy.”

“What? I doubt he's even twenty yet.”

“You can flirt harmlessly, but I can't?”

“He knows you're too old for him.”

“You said he was staring at my breasts.”

Ray's hand tightened. “He could be dangerous.”

“I can take care of myself.”

“I know but...” He was interrupted by a knock on the door.

Ray popped up to answer it. He let in an older, balding police officer with a serious face and intelligent eyes.

“Mr. and Mrs. Thatcher?” he asked.

“Yes.” Meg got up. “We're the Thatchers.”

“I'm Sergeant Shane Montgomery. I'd like to ask you a couple of questions about what happened today.”

“We understand.”

He nodded and took out a notepad. “How well did you know Lily Carr?”

“We didn't,” Ray told him.

Montgomery lifted his eyebrows.

“What my husband means,” Meg added, “is that we've only seen her a couple of times and never to talk to.”

“She gave me a massage the other day,” Ray put in.

“Did you hear or see anything unusual today?”

Meg shook her head. “No.”

“Me neither.” Ray said.

“How about in the past couple of weeks?”

“No.”

“You're sure?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay, that's it.” Montgomery reached into his pocket and took out a card. He handed it to Meg. “If you have any problems, any at all, let me know. I'm an hour away by plane, but I'll get here as quickly as I can.”

“We will,” Ray agreed readily.

Meg glanced down at the card in her hand, studying the logo and the slightly familiar number. Sharply, she looked up at Montgomery. He met her gaze squarely and nodded.

Meg waited until the door closed behind him to say to Ray, “He knows who we really are.” 

“What do you mean?” 

She flashed Ray the card. “He's our contact in the FBI.”

XXX

“So, this is now about more than observation, don't you agree?” Meg was leaning against the headboard in her pajamas and her glasses with her notebook on her lap.

Ray watched her from the couch but at her question forced himself to focus. “Yeah.”

“It's fair to say that we know something is going on, and if we find out what before we leave we can report it to Montgomery and have McKnight and his accomplices arrested.”

“Right.”

“So, what do we know so far?”

“There was nothin' at the pool.”

Meg sighed. “We just didn't get there in time. I wish Montgomery had broken cover to tell us what he found. What else?”

“Juliet ordered Lily Carr around, then Lily had an accident.”

“And she was either employee or victim. Maybe both.” Meg scribbled on the pad.

“And there was Fluke and the money.”

“A pay off for something, obviously. I wonder if McKnight always uses this location or whether it's a one time thing.”

“If it's one time, it's more important than ever that we catch him up.”

“I know.” Meg chewed on the end of her pen thoughtfully. “So, besides Carr and Fluke, we've got who? Just Billy?”

“So far.”

“And our suspicions are based on?”

Ray frowned. “I don't like him.”

“Not good enough.”

“It is for me.”

She ignored him and continued, “We've seen him talking with both of our suspects. Hmmn...That's rather thin.”

“He's always around.”

“Yes, but that's his job.”

“I still don't like him.”

“Me neither,” Meg admitted, putting her notebook and glasses on the bedside table. “He's rather reptile-like, isn't he?”

“I don't want you flirting with him.”

“It will be harmless.”

“I mean it. Even if he's not working for McKnight, he has creep written all over him.”

She yawned. “Let's talk about this later. How was the poker game?”

“I lost.”

“Again?”

Ray shrugged. “I think Steven cheats.”

Meg gave him a soft smile. “That's possible.”

“Are you makin' fun of me?”

“Certainly not.”

“Did you win?” he asked curiously.

“A couple of the games.” She settled down until her head was on the pillow and blinked sleepily. “Ready?”

“Yeah, sure, go ahead.”

She reached over and snapped off the bedside lamp, leaving the room in darkness. The only dim light came from the open curtains behind Ray.

“You know,” Meg said quietly. “I've never had many women friends. Women don't usually like me. They find me cold and standoffish. This is an interesting experience.”

Ray didn't know how to answer, so he remained silent.

“I regret lying. To Susie and Alex and Lavender, especially. I'm more myself here than I've been for a long time. It sounds ridiculous, doesn't it, when everything else about the situation is a lie.”

Ray cleared his throat before saying carefully, “Then maybe you should be yourself all the time. Tell everyone else to go screw themselves and just be Meg.”

She didn't answer for a long time, and Ray eventually decided she wasn't going to. He thumped his pillow a couple of times and lay down.

“It wouldn't matter.” Her voice was a whisper in the dark.

“Of course it would. The real Meg is terrific.”

“Thank you...I think Ray is pretty great too.”

“Good night, Meg.”

“Good night, Ray.”


	15. Chapter 15

Ray didn't much like date night. They were all expected to dress nice and go to the resort's fancy restaurant. He always felt uncomfortable and out of place. There was music too, so people could dance, but he'd never asked Meg. Usually, they spent the evening in awkward silence, trying to pretend they were just waiting to go back to their room.

The last two or three weeks hadn't been too bad, Ray admitted to himself as he buttoned up his nicest shirt. At least they had been able to find things to talk about.

Meg seemed to be taking a long time to get ready and Ray was getting antsy. He wanted to just get the whole thing over with. To him, a date wasn't usually dressing up and going out to a fancy restaurant; he much preferred a quick bite and a movie or something fun like a carnival.

Finally, the bathroom door opened, and he was ready to snap something at her about how long she'd taken. The words died on his lips as he took in the long red dress that clung to her curves and left almost nothing to the imagination. The neckline was low, and there was a slit up the side that reached high up her thigh. She looked so beautiful and desirable that his mouth immediately went dry.

“Sorry I took so long. I was so sweaty from earlier that I couldn't seem to feel human again...Is something wrong?”

Ray swallowed and dragged his eyes up from the piece of thigh peeking out of the dress. He rasped, “That's new.”

She turned slowly. “Do you like it? Alex lent it to me. She's a bit taller, so it's a little longer, and the neckline is rather low, but I think it looks nice.”

“Yeah.” He forced his voice to remain pleasantly neutral. “It's nice. Ready to go?”

She frowned. “It does look okay, doesn't it?”

It was a dress any husband would be happy to peel off of his wife, but there was no way he was going to say that to her. “It looks great.”

Meg peered into his face. “I can't tell if you're placating me or not, but I'll take it. We're going to be late.”

If she only knew, he thought. “Yeah, we are. C'mon.”

He took her arm as they left, smiling to himself. These date nights didn't have to be all bad. Maybe tonight, he'd even ask Meg to dance.

XXX

“Oh, Ray,” Meg gushed, pulling from him to twirl around. “That was so much fun!”

Ray watched her warily, ready to lunge forward to catch her if she started to fall.

“Where did you learn how to dance?” she asked.

“Here and there. Maybe you should sit down.”

“But I don't want to sit down. I want to dance some more. Don't you want to dance with me?” She pouted prettily.

“Meg,” he said, hurrying forward to steady her. “I don't think you're in any condition to dance.”

“I am not drunk.”

“Sure, you're not. C'mere.” He slipped his arm around her waist. “You _really_ should sit down.”

She sighed and snuggled against him. “I like when you put your arm around me. It feels nice.”

Ray couldn't believe how quickly Meg had gone from flushed and feeling good to drunk. Apparently, though she could do many things well, holding her liquor was not one of them.

She snaked an arm around him and squeezed him in a brief, tight hug. With her other hand, she turned his chin so that he was looking into her face. 

“Did you know,” she whispered loudly, “that I used to think you were a jackass?”

“It was hard to miss,” he answered honestly.

Her hand moved from his chin, stroking his cheek. “How could I not see how kind your eyes are?”

Ray cleared his throat uncomfortably. “Let's get you sitting down.”

“I don't want to sit.” She pulled away. “I want to dance.”

She twirled again and tottered. 

“No more dancin'.” He caught her with firm hands and led her towards the bed.

“Can I tell you a secret?”

“Sure.”

She leaned forward until her lips were against his ear. “I was glad they picked you.”

“Huh?' He stopped and turned her slightly so their eyes met.

“I knew I could trust you,” she murmured softly. “Before they told me it was you, I was afraid my 'husband' would try to take advantage.”

“You trusted me?”

“Of course, silly.” She pulled him into her arms and hugged him again, laying her head on his shoulder.

Ray couldn't resist running his hand up and down her back as he returned her hug. “I'm glad.”

She placed a soft kiss on his jaw before pulling away. “You know what? I think I might be drunk.”

“Why would you say that?” he asked in mock seriousness.

“Maybe I should sit down.”

“Here, let me help.” He put his hand on her elbow and lowered her to the bed. “Better?”

“Yes. Thank you, Ray.”

“Welcome.”

He went to move away, but she caught his hand and pulled him down beside her. Ray settled there a little nervously, wary of more contact. He wanted to stroke her shoulders and trail his finger up the tempting strip of bare thigh so close to his own, and he was having trouble fighting the impulses.

Either unaware or uncaring of his unease, Meg leaned against him. She hugged his arm and put her head back on his shoulder.

“Ray?”

“Yeah?”

“Are we friends?”

“I think maybe we are.”

“How did that happen?”

He laughed quietly. “Beats me.”

“I like it.”

“Me too.”

His words were drowned out by a soft snore. Meg had fallen asleep.

Ray wasn't sure if he was relieved or not.

XXX

By Monday morning, Meg was feeling almost human again. The heaves and excruciating headache from Sunday were forgotten, and she was almost cheerful as she packed an overnight bag.

“This is a stupid idea,” Ray grumbled as he threw some underwear into his bag. “What's this supposed to teach us?”

“I think we're supposed to bond...Don't forget to pack a sweater.” 

He grunted and went to dig one out of the closet. 

“You might enjoy yourself,” she continued.

“Do you like camping?”

“I have...occasionally...been known to find it enjoyable.”

“Is that a yes or a no?”

“Just pack, Ray.”

“I hate wilderness.”

“No, you don't.”

“I think I'd know if I didn't.”

“Give it a chance.”

“I never woulda took you for a lumberjack.”

Meg laughed as she closed her pack. “Actually, I'm a city girl for the most part, but I've always found camping peaceful.”

“You like sleepin' in a tent?”

“Not really, but I like fishing.”

His eyes widened. “You do?”

“Yes. Now, hurry up and finish. The vans are supposed to be here in ten minutes.”

“What if I fail at puttin' up a tent?”

“I can put up a tent.”

“Oh, the other men will like that.”

She went over, dropped his razor in his bag, and zipped it. “You're not turning chauvinist on me, are you? I refuse to act like the dumb, helpless female.”

“I just don't wanna look stupid.”

“You'll be fine,” she assured him. “Look at Harrison. Do you think he's ever put up a tent? His idea of camping is probably in an RV bigger than most people's houses.”

He sighed. “I guess...Did you pack the sunscreen?”

“Yes.”

“Are we forgetting anything?”

“No.”

“You sure?”

“Yes.”

“Okay. Let's get this over with.”

“That's the spirit.”

XXX

“See, that wasn't so bad,” Meg commented as she clicked the last post into place.

Ray studied the small tent critically. “I think it might even stay up.”

“Of course it will. I told you I knew what I was doing.”

Around them there was lots of talking and laughing as the others also put up their tents.

“Now, as long as they don't expect me to cook,” she added, “I'll be fine.”

“I think we're eatin' beans. I saw them in the back of the van.”

Meg grimaced. “Maybe we should go fishing.”

Their tents were pitched by a small but clear lake in a small clearing surrounded by trees.

“There were some fishin' poles back there too.”

Meg had a flashback of her grandfather teaching her to fish when she was seven. The image made her smile.

“Do you know how to fish, Ray?”

“I've done it.”

“Then what are we waiting for?” She headed towards the vans, sidestepping Lavender and Jasper's tent, which had collapsed for the second time.

“Do you think Sarah will mind?”

“Would she have brought them if we weren't supposed to use them?”

“I don't know...”

“Come on, sweetie,” she said, pouring on the Megan. “It will be fun.”

Meg stepped closer and pulled him against her. She felt him tense in surprise, and fought back a ripple of amusement. Before he could say anything, she kissed him. It was supposed to be in fun, to tease him a little, but her body had other ideas.

Ray's arms went around her and pulled her closer, and his lips moved against hers. A whirl of sensations went through her, and Meg closed her eyes to enjoy them.

It was Ray who deepened the kiss, running his tongue along her lips until she sighed and let him in. Fire skittered through her veins as his tongue stroked hers.

Meg let all sense of reality fall away and threw herself into kissing him back. His hair felt good, and her fingers tingled as they sifted through the strands.

When Ray's hand slipped up the back of her shirt to trace the base of her spine, Meg moaned softly.

At the sound, reality came back, and she remembered it was all supposed to be pretend. Unfortunately, her lips, her skin, her stomach, and various other parts of her body refused to believe it. Reluctantly, she pulled away, her breathing uneven and her heart pounding wildly.

“Unless,” she managed to gasp, “you don't think you can catch a fish.”

“Not only can I catch a fish,” Ray announced, kissing the end of her nose. “I can catch a bigger one than you can.”

“You want to bet on that?”

He slowly released her. “Anything you want, sweetheart.”

Her brain was still muddled, so she fought to think of something. “If I win, we spend all day next Sunday on the beach...doing nothing.”

He groaned. “Nothing?”

“Absolutely nothing but lying in the sun, reading or sunning.”

“Okay, but only if you cook me a meal, with dessert, if I win.”

“Are you willing to chance death, Ray?”

He grinned. “Yup.”

She shook her head. “All right. You're on!”

XXX

It turned out that the beans were a back up. Sarah Lynn expected everyone to fish for their supper, so they all fished and made a campfire to fry their catch over. The women and men shared the chores evenly and when they were done Sarah produced a bag of marshmallows. They roasted and talked and stayed up well into the night. 

Meg sat curled and sleepy in Ray's lap as the fire died down. Around her, most of the others still talked, though some had gone to bed. Ray had been enjoying himself so much that when she got sleepy, Meg closed her eyes and let the rumble of his voice lull her into a contented half doze.

One of his arms was wrapped around her waist and the other, she knew, was probably waving as he talked. He felt warm; he felt safe. It was nice.

She felt so peaceful that she didn't even mind that he expected her to cook him a complete meal with dessert sometime in the next week. She'd manage somehow. After all, it was just food. What was that compared to taking a bullet?

“Meg?”

“Hmn?”

“I think we'd better get you to bed.”

“I'm fine.” She didn't want to move.

“You're tired. You've been pretty much asleep for the past hour.”

“No, I haven't,” she argued sleepily.

Ray chuckled and kissed the top of her head. “Come on, sweetheart. There will be other campfires.”

But not like this. She couldn't remember the last time she had been comfortable enough in a man's arms to sleep.

She sighed softly, forcing her eyes open and getting clumsily to her feet. Ray stood too and wrapped his arms around her from behind.

Kissing her cheek, he said, “I can carry you to the tent if you like.”

She entertained a brief fantasy of letting him do just that before rejecting the reality.

“I wasn't sleeping.”

“Okay.” To the others, he added, “Later.”

“Good night,” Meg said, raising her hand. “See you in the morning.”

After the chorus of good nights, Meg let Ray lead her to their tent. His arm was around her, and his hand rested on her hip. 

“That's a small tent,” Meg said very quietly when Ray bent to unzip it.

For the first time, she realized that they would be sleeping side by side in a space smaller than a double bed. It was too hot for sleeping bags, so they wouldn't have to worry about sharing one, but they would be under a thin sheet, lying so close together that their bodies would touch. It was supposed to be intimate and romantic, but Meg didn't want to have to face intimate and romantic right now.

“We'll be okay,” he assured her quietly. “Ladies first.”

Meg bent and crawled into the tent. It was barely tall enough to sit up in. She frowned as she took off her sneakers and decided she'd be sleeping in her shorts and t-shirt.

It was quite dark, so she flipped back the sheet Ray had put down earlier mostly by feel. Ray came in and zipped the tent behind them. As Meg crawled under the sheet, she heard another zipper.

“What was that?”

“What was what?”

“That noise.”

There was a pause. “You mean my zipper?”

She stiffened. “What are you doing, Ray?”

“Takin' off my jeans.”

“You...”

“I'm not sleepin' in them. They're uncomfortable.”

“But...”

“Don't worry.” He sounded annoyed. “I'm not plannin' on jumpin' you.”

“I know.”

“Then what's the problem?”

Bare arms touching. Bare legs touching. Meg swallowed. It would be worse in the dark where _things_ could brush.

“Nothing,” she said tensely. “Lie down and go to sleep.”

She wasn't tired anymore. As Ray got under the sheet with her, she was very aware of him. Before they even touched, his warmth reached her. The shock of skin on skin made her clench her jaw.

“Would you relax?”

“I am relaxed,” she snapped.

“You don't feel relaxed.” He rolled over on his side and carefully slid his arm around her. “See? That's not so bad. The world didn't end. Go to sleep.”

Meg bit her lip, fighting to control her breathing. Outside, it had felt safe for him to hold her because the others were a buffer. In the tent, it didn't feel safe at all. Her body was awake and ready and waiting for his hand to glide over her curves. 

Ray didn't seem to be having the trouble she was. He settled closer, his face so near she could feel the softness of his breath against her ear and cheek. If she moved...

“If your hand moves in the night, I will hit you.” Her voice sounded a lot calmer than she felt.

He laughed, tickling her neck. “Just throw it off.”

“Hitting you will be more satisfying.”

Ray shifted and his leg slid over hers, rubbing deliciously. Meg closed her eyes, fighting the urge to touch him.

“Go to sleep,” he repeated.

“I'm trying. Stop talking.”

He grunted but didn't reply, obeying her curt order. Meg took slow, deep breaths, forcing her body to relax and ignoring the sensory information that threatened to overwhelm her. Bit by bit, she managed to reclaim the sleepy warmth she'd felt by the fire. Her body and her mind grew heavy.

She was almost asleep when Ray shifted again and whispered her name. Too close to dreams to remember why it should bother her, she leaned towards him and wrapped her arm around him. As she made the final fall into darkness, she could feel her cheek pressed against his.


	16. Chapter 16

When Meg woke up the next morning, Ray was gone. She sighed and ran her hand over the dent in the pillow where his head had been. Despite her discomfort, it had been nice to fall asleep beside him. She wondered if he found it nice as well.

“Do we even have bacon?” Ray's voice right outside the tent startled her, and she snatched her hand back guiltily.

“Yeah, it's in the coolers in the back of the second van,” someone—Michael Parker?--answered.

“Sounds good.”

The zipper on their tent opened and Ray's smiling face appeared. “Good mornin', sunshine. Time to get up.”

“Good morning. Have you been up long?”

“About an hour.” He shrugged. “We're gonna restoke the fire and make some breakfast before packing up and headin' out.”

She yawned. “What time is it?”

“Almost ten.”

“Ten?” She sat up, rubbing her face. She almost never slept past eight o'clock. “Why didn't you wake me?”

“We were up late.” He avoided her eyes and she guessed what he didn't say. It would have been beyond awkward to wake up in each other's arms.

“What's for breakfast?” she asked to change the subject.

“Bacon and beans.”

Meg made a face. “I guess she didn't want to lug back all those full cans.”

“Guess not. Gettin' up?”

“Yes. I'm just going to change.” She reached for the bag at her feet. When he didn't move, she added, “May I have some privacy?”

“Oh...Yeah...Sorry.” His head disappeared and the zipper went back down.

It was hard undressing and then dressing in the tiny tent, but Meg somehow managed to do it without knocking the tent down. She also ran her brush quickly through her dark hair, which was getting a little longer now and sometimes threatened to stick up in spikes much like Ray's first thing in the morning.

There was a manual pump with water coming up from the lake where she could brush her teeth and wash her face and an outhouse set back into the trees. All the comforts of home, she thought as she grabbed her toothbrush, toothpaste, and facecloth.

The camp was full of activity. Jake and Alex were trying to get the fire going while their spouses worked at opening the ten or fifteen cans of beans Sarah was offering for breakfast. Several people were splashing around in the lake, and Casey and Stewart were at the pump brushing their teeth.

Giggling came from Michael and Ryanne's tent as she passed, making Meg smile. The two of them were in reality what Meg and Ray were in fiction.

She nodded to Casey and Stewart as she reached them, taking the cap off of her toothpaste.

“Hi,” Casey said around her toothbrush.

“Good morning. Have you seen Ray?”

“I think Jake sent him for more wood. This was great, don't you think? I wish we could stay longer.”

“Yes.” Meg squeezed a neat and perfect line onto her toothbrush. “It's been fun, though I tend to enjoy a few more amenities.”

Casey looked confused, so Stewart put a hand on her arm. Quietly, he said, “Comforts.”

She nodded. “Oh, yeah. Sorry. Sometimes my vocabulary sucks.”

Meg waved this away. “Don't apologize. So, what do you think of this whole Couples' Haven experience?”

“I love it. Three months of vacation with awesome activities and weather? It's terrific.”

“And therapy.”

“To tell you the truth, it's helping a lot.”

“Really?” She managed to form the word around her toothbrush.

“It's helped me and Stewart get to know each other better. Isn't that right, sweetie?”

Stewart paused and spit before replying, “Yeah.”

“That was a problem?” Meg asked.

Casey laughed. It was a sweet, joyous sound. “Oh, yeah. We haven't known each other long. I was in Vegas at a bachelorette party when we met four months ago. He was at some convention thing...”

“Young Businessmen of America,” Stewart supplied.

“Right. We met, got drunk, got married, all in one night. That was some morning after, let me tell you.”

“So, what happened?” Meg prodded.

“I liked him. He was cute. He treated me good, even when I woke up angry as a bear. He told me it was up to me what happened next, so I decided to keep him.” She grinned widely. “I haven't once regretted it. Right now, I'm in the process of transferring schools.”

“Oh, what are you taking?”

“Physical Education. I want to be a gym teacher.”

“I think that's an extremely suitable career choice, Casey.”

“Thanks...Hey, do you know that creeper who's always hanging around, glaring at everyone like they're in the way?”

Meg stopped rinsing off her brush. Casually, she asked, “Creeper?”

“Yeah. Young guy, creepy eyes, blond. He stares at everyone's boobs.”

“Do you mean Billy?”

Casey shrugged. “Maybe.”

“What about him?”

“I was going to tell you you don't have to worry about him this week.”

“I don't?”

“Nope. Me and Lauren were talking about him yesterday, and she told me she heard he's gone for a week's vacation. I'm glad. He was the only thing I don't like about this place.”

“I find him rather creepy as well.”

She nodded. “I'm sure all us women do. They should fire his ass.”

“Has anyone made a formal complaint to the Fossens?”

Casey shrugged. “I don't think so. It's not like he actually does anything, he just looks creepy.”

“True...for now.”

Inwardly, Meg sighed. Despite Ray's protests, she had been prepared to put pressure on Billy, even if it had to be through flirting, when they got back to the resort. Now, it looked as if that would have to be put on hold. Well, at least Ray would be happy.

XXX

“Civilization,” Ray sighed as he flopped down on the sofa in the lounge. 

“Of all the amenities we could be enjoying, are you sure a movie is the best choice?” Meg asked in amusement, sitting beside him.

“You didn't think I'd miss _Men in Black_ , did you? I haven't seen it yet.”

“Another alien movie?”

“Aliens are cool.”

“Sure they are.” She patted his knee affectionately.

Harrison, Ray, Mark, and Connor had decided on the way home from their camping excursion that they would find something mindless and fun to watch when they got home.

“Are we ready?” Harrison asked from where he was fiddling with the VCR.

Lauren and Mark were sharing the sofa, so Meg was pressed next to Ray's side so they'd all have room. Connor and Tess were sharing a huge lazy boy, and Alex was stretched out on the floor.

“Just press play, Harry,” she told her husband.

“Okay.” He looked excited, and Meg wondered if he loved alien movies as much as Ray did.

“This is gonna be great,” Ray said, “you'll see.”

Meg highly doubted that, but she wisely kept this to herself. She was actually starting to find his excitement over alien movies endearing.

Ray put an arm around her. “I can't wait to see Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones together, and I heard the special effects are fantastic.”

“That's what I heard too,” Harrison agreed, joining Alex on the floor.

“Shh,” Alex told him. “I hate missing the beginning.”

Meg whispered in Ray's ear, “You heard her. Shh.”

Ray squeezed her shoulder, then ran his hand up and down her arm. It felt so nice that Meg decided watching a movie beside him really wouldn't be so bad.

XXX

Meg circled the pool table with the cue in her hand, studying it from all angles. She felt the others watching her, waiting for her to do something.

“Need help?” Ray asked, coming up behind her. “I can show you how to make a perfect shot.”

Meg thought about that for a second, her attention wavering. The picture was enough to clench her stomach. She saw herself bent over the table with Ray curled against her back, his arms around her, his hands over hers. The image was almost pornographic, and it brought heat to her cheeks.

“I know how to play, Ray.”

“Are you sure?”

“I'm sure.”

“Looks like the honeymoon phase is over, dude,” Mark Rodgers remarked.

“Nah,” Ray told him. “She just hates when people think she's a helpless female.”

“Women's lib makes things a lot less fun.” 

Lauren elbowed him, and he grunted.

“I dunno. I like a woman who knows what she wants and isn't afraid to go after it. My Meg's not perfect, but she's pretty damn terrific.”

Ray ran his hand down Meg's arm, distracting her again. Her reactions to his touch were getting stronger, and it was getting harder to hide them from him.

“Thanks, Ray,” she mumbled. “Now be quiet so I can figure out my shot.”

“Sorry, love. I'll zip it.”

The door to the games room opened and MariAnna Dever came in. Her expression was grave, and there was a slight line between her eyebrows.

“Hi,” Lauren said to her.

“Hello. I was sent to fetch you.”

“By who?” Ray asked.

“The Fossens. They're gathering the guests in the Green Room.”

Meg frowned and set her cue on the table. “Any idea why?”

MariAnna shook her head. “No, but it must be serious.”

The five of them left the games room and made their way down the hall to the Green Room. Most of the other couples were there, and there was a lot of chatter as everyone speculated on why they'd been gathered together on such short notice.

Meg dropped into the seat next to Alex. “Do you know what's going on?”

“Not a clue. All I know is that it's important enough to disregard the schedule. Harrison and I are supposed to be swimming right now.”

“Swimming?”

“Naked.”

“Ah.”

“Have you guys had to do it yet?”

“No.” Thank God.

“I was looking forward to it.”

Meg shook her head. “It seems rather embarrassing.”

“You lock the door.”

“Even so...”

Steven, Juliet, Connor, and Tess came in, followed by the Fossens. Rebecca's usually tanned face was the color of milk, and her husband was clutching her. Meg gripped Ray's arm.

“Yeah,” he said quietly. “Nothin' good.”

The Fossens waited until the last of the guests had seated and settled before they moved to the front of the room. Meg watched them carefully, her fingers sliding down to curl around Ray's. He stroked her hand, loosening the knot of apprehension in her chest.

Joshua Fossen cleared his throat before speaking and, when he did, Meg could hear the strain in his voice. “Good afternoon. We apologize for taking you away from your bonding activities, but we have an announcement.”

He looked at his wife, and she nodded, straightening her spine. “Lily Carr passed away last night. She never regained consciousness. We were told her death was caused by complications due to her condition. We will be holding a service for Lily the Sunday after next, and we invite you all to attend.”

Stunned silence followed her words, and Meg's hand tightened on Ray's. Thoughts began spinning in her mind. Was Lily Carr's death really due to complications or had Steven been responsible for her death? Billy wasn't at the resort, did he have something to do with it? 

“Because of the unusual circumstances,” Joshua was speaking again, “you may do as you wish this afternoon and evening, but you are expected to show up for group therapy tomorrow morning.”

“If you would like to talk to someone about your feelings concerning Lily's death, contact your therapists,” Rebecca added.

The Fossens then quickly left and everyone starting talking. Meg rose unsteadily to her feet.

“You okay?” Ray asked, glancing up.

“I'd like to go back to our room, Ray.”

“Okay.” He nodded. “No problem.”

XXX

Chad Seidl, the therapist who handled the group sessions, was an earnest man in his fifties with wide eyes and a perpetually calm expression. He was rather bland, but Meg appreciated his peaceful aura after a night filled with thoughts of Lily Carr being murdered. Even though it was illogical, she couldn't help but feel that Lily's death was partially her fault.

She and Ray sat in their usual spot, between the Devers and the Roses. Everyone was extremely subdued, and the normal talking and laughing was absent. Seidl didn't even have to get their attention for the session to start.

“Good morning,” he said softly. “I'm sure you're all feeling rather upset about yesterday's news. Lily seemed to be doing well after her fall, and it was quite a shock that she suddenly passed away. Because of this, I want this session to be a life affirming one. In the face of tragedy, it is always beneficial to remind ourselves what we are grateful for. Foremost among these needs to be our loved ones. Look at your spouse. Really look.”

He paused, waiting for them to follow his instructions. Meg looked at Ray, studying the lines of his face, the blue of his eyes. He had nice ears; they were the perfect size, and Meg occasionally found herself wanting to tug or tweak one. His gaze met hers and the left side of his mouth tipped up slightly, showing he was amused. Meg wondered what he saw when he gazed into her face.

“My question to you is,” Seidl continued, “have you said 'I love you' today? Saying 'I love you' is very important, as you've been hearing from us from the beginning. I know you understand it, but have you been doing it? So, this morning, Susie and Jake, have you said, 'I love you'?”

Susie looked startled at having been put on the spot. Blushing, she glanced at Jake, who nodded. 

“Does it count,” she asked quietly, “if we were...you know...”

Seidl smiled a fatherly smile. “Of course.”

Still blushing, she replied, “Then, yeah, we did.”

He nodded. “Good. Alex and Harrison?”

Around the room he went, asking each couple the same question. When he got to Meg and Ray, Meg let Ray answer in the affirmative. She felt a moment of discomfort, though she didn't know the origin, as Seidl moved on from them to Connor and Tess.

When each couple had answered either yes or no, Seidl added, “I want you all to say, 'I love you' now. Look at your partner, feel it, and say it. Make eye contact, hold hands. Do whatever you feel you need to to make them feel it too. Go ahead. I want to hear you.”

Meg swallowed and looked at Ray questioningly. He shrugged as if the prospect didn't bother him, so she was determined to act as nonchalant. She held out one of her hands to him and he took it, creating sparks.

She forced her gaze up from somewhere around Ray's collarbone to his eyes. They had done stuff like this countless times and it usually didn't phase her, but this time her feeling of unease grew.

Ray's eyes were smiling, which helped. He looked as if they were sharing a friendly joke. On impulse, Meg gave him a quick wink.

The others were starting to speak around them, so Meg squeezed Ray's hand, looked him right in the eye, and said, “I love you, Ray.”

His free hand came up and brushed the hair from her forehead. It trailed down, tenderly stroking first her cheek then her jaw. His voice was warm as he replied, “I love you, Meg.”

The words reached inside her and squeezed. They were words she heard so seldom that even falsely sincere, they touched her. Her breath caught as he leaned forward and brushed his lips against her cheek and then against the top of her nose. Tears pricked her eyes, and she suddenly felt inexplicably angry.

“Good, very good.” Seidl's voice broke into her thoughts. “Now, I want us all to share some ways we can show our partners how much we do love them.”

XXX

Ray followed Meg into their room feeling something was off. She had been acting strange all through the morning's therapy session, and she hadn't said two words to him in the hallway. He wondered if Lily Carr's death was eating at her like it was eating at him.

He put his hand on her shoulder in concern. “Hey, is somethin' wrong?”

“Don't touch me,” she hissed, jerking away. “I'm so tired of you touching me.”

Ray snatched his hand back in shock. Her eyes were flashing, and her face was twisted in anger.

“Meg?”

“Don't 'Meg' me,” she continued, turning her back on him and stomping towards the dresser. “Just leave me alone.”

Ray followed her, watching as she harshly yanked open the top drawer. He stood close behind her, close enough to feel her body heat, but he didn't touch her.

“Listen,” he said quietly, feeling like a jerk and not knowing why, “if I've done somethin' wrong, I'm sorry. If you felt threatened, if I hurt you...”

“Stop,” she snapped, “Just stop.”

“I'm sorry,” he repeated helplessly.

Her body slumped slightly, and she closed the drawer gently without taking anything out. Softly, she said, “No, Ray, I'm sorry.”

She turned and the expression on her face was so sad that he wanted to stroke her cheek until the sadness melted away.

“I shouldn't have yelled at you,” she continued. “Please, forgive me. I'm feeling...”

She stopped, so he finished for her. “It's this place, isn't it? It's gettin' to you.” She nodded. “I know. It gets to me too. We're just spending too much time together.”

“I get so tired of pretending.”

This time he gave in to impulse and tentatively reached out to cup her face. Meg closed her eyes and took a deep, shaky breath.

“What we need is a vacation from each other,” he whispered. “A day to forget what we're supposed to do and what we're supposed to feel. Why don't you ask Alex, Susie, and Lavender if they'd like to have a girls'...uh...women's spa day tomorrow, and I'll watch movies or play pool with the guys or somethin'.”

“What about the dinner I owe you?” Her eyes were still closed, and his hand was still on her cheek.

“We can do that on Monday. Okay?”

“Okay.”

“You gonna be all right?”

“It's not my first temper tantrum, and it won't be my last.” She opened her eyes, and they seemed to look straight inside of him.

He chuckled and kissed her forehead. When she didn't protest, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. She sighed and relaxed, returning the embrace.


	17. Chapter 17

Meg was halfway to the cafeteria when she realized she had forgotten the list of ingredients Alex had given her back in the room. The cafeteria kitchen was always open in case guests needed ingredients for their own kitchens, and all food was always free.

She frowned, tempted to just go on and pick stuff up from memory. In the end, she decided against it because she'd just have to come back if she forgot something anyway. 

With a sigh, she turned around and started back. In doing so, she almost ran into someone hurrying the other way.

“I beg your pardon,” she said automatically, stepping back.

Billy Waters gave her an appraising glance, his eyes going from her shoulders to her knees and back without even touching her face. He leered slightly.

“Oh, hello, Billy.”

“Hi, Mrs. Thatcher.”

Meg was surprised he knew her name. “It's nice to see you back. It wasn't the same here without you.”

“Yeah.”

She wanted to talk more but Billy was already moving past her. 

“I'll see you around,” she told him.

“Yeah.” He paused to actually smile before hurrying on his way.

Meg watched him for a second, disappointed that she hadn't been able to ask him any questions, before continuing on to the main building. Somehow, she would have to find a way to talk to him.

Pushing Billy from her mind, she turned her thoughts to the imminent disaster that was dinner. She had been worrying about ruining it all day, and it didn't seem to matter that Ray knew she couldn't really cook. Everyone in her life knew what a horrible cook she was and she still always stressed about making them anything. Meg's problem was that she was a perfectionist, and she hated not being good at something. She knew it was ridiculous, but it bothered her anyway. Still, if Ray lived through the meal, she supposed she should consider it a success.

With this grimly amusing thought, she reached her door. After two months of living there, the small suite felt like home.

Meg turned the knob, went inside...and froze. Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open as her brain tried to comprehend what she was seeing.

Ray looked just as shocked, she noticed, before her eyes traveled down—over a smooth and slightly defined chest, over a flat stomach, over...Oh, my!

With a gasp, Meg whirled around to face the door.

“What are you doing?” she demanded, fighting the temptation to have just one more peek.

“Gettin' dressed,” he said calmly. “You weren't supposed to be back for awhile. What are you doin'?”

“I...I...” What did she come back for? She tried to remember, but all she could think of was Ray's naked body.

“Meg?”

“Put something on!”

“I dunno. I kind of like this reaction.”

“It doesn't bother you?”

“Nope. I'm not shy.”

“”Well, it bothers me.”

“Relax, Meg. I'll put on my underwear. At least then you can turn and we can have a real conversation.”

“I thought you were going out.”

“I am. I'm goin' outside, and it's hot, so I showered and was just about to put on my shorts before I was so rudely interrupted.”

“I'm...I'm sorry.” Meg cleared her throat. “I forgot my ingredients list.”

“You mean this?” His hand came around her with a piece of paper in it.

“Ray!” she squeaked. She could feel him behind her, and she wasn't sure if she wanted to run away or lean back against him.

“It's okay. I'm covered.”

She took a deep, calming breath. “You are?”

“Sure. Why don't you look and see?”

“I'd rather not.”

He laughed. “Suit yourself.”

Meg snatched the list from his hand. “I'm leaving now. Please be dressed when I get back.”

“Are you sure? This was way more fun.”

“Just stay in your clothes, Ray.”

“Spoil sport.”

XXX

“Well?” Meg asked anxiously after a few minutes of watching Ray chew.

“Well what?”

“You know what,” she said in irritation.

“Do you want an honest answer or the answer I'd really give my wife?”

Meg groaned. “It's that bad? I followed Alex's instructions carefully.”

“Well, which is it?”

“Tell me the truth, Ray.” She folded her hands in her lap. “I can take it.”

He took another bite, chewed, and swallowed. “It's not bad. It's not the greatest thing I've ever tasted, but it's not awful. We can eat it.”

She sighed, both pleased and disappointed with his answer. Picking up her fork, she scooped up some potatoes.

“For what it's worth, I'm proud of you.”

Meg jerked and the potatoes fell off her fork. “What?”

“You don't cook, right? And you gave it a try, anyway. Even though you were doin' it for a bet, you asked someone for advice, you followed instructions, and you did your best. It doesn't take anything from you to do somethin' you're good at. Doin' somethin' you suck at, knowing you'll probably screw up, takes guts. You've got guts. I like that. I just thought you should know.”

“Oh,” she said, looking down at her plate. “Thank you.”

“Now, hurry up and eat. I'll do the dishes. It's the least I can do.”

“I'll help.”

“You don't have to. You cooked.”

“It's okay, Ray.” She smiled. “You can wash and I'll dry. It will go faster that way.”

“All right. Thanks.” He pointed his fork at her plate. “Now eat.”

“Yes, sir.”

XXX

Meg was on her way to the barn next time she saw Billy. She was planning on going on a solo ride to clear her head, but her plans changed when she saw him.

“Hello again, Billy.”

Billy looked almost startled at her voice, as if he hadn't noticed her. He stopped and blinked. “Uh...hi, Mrs. Thatcher.”

“How are you today? Enjoying the sunshine?” Now that it was time, she couldn't quite bring herself to flirt with someone as young as he was.

“It's nice.”

“Did you have a good vacation? I didn't get a chance to ask you the other day.”

“It was all right.” His eyes dipped down to Meg's cleavage and then back up. He licked his lips.

“Did you go anywhere special?”

His gaze narrowed, his awkwardness gone. “Why do you want to know?”

Meg shrugged, making sure she did so in a way that lifted her breasts. “Oh, I mean, you live here in paradise. I was just wondering what could compare as a vacation spot.”

“Oh. I...uh...I went to see my folks.” The lie wasn't quite convincing enough. “I gotta go. See you around, Mrs. Thatcher.”

“See you, Billy.”

XXX

Ray had lost Meg. 

It was late Thursday afternoon and Meg had gone with her friends for a massage while he and Jake shot pool. They were supposed to meet in their room after two hours to get ready to go riding and, even though Meg had been riding the day before, she had been looking forward to it. Ray didn't like that she was late; she was almost never late.

He gave her about fifteen minutes before he started getting antsy and set off to look for her. He knew she liked to spend time on the balcony overlooking the grounds, so that was the first place he looked.

It was a good guess because he saw her standing there, with her back to him, looking at something over the railing. As he got closer, he saw that she was watching Steven talking on his cell phone.

Ray frowned. Meg was standing out in the open and if Steven looked up, he would immediately see her there.

Lavender and Jasper were on the balcony playing chess and Ryanne and Michael were cuddling and whispering on a bench, so Ray didn't want to call attention to himself cautioning Meg.

Forcing himself to be casual, he stepped up behind her and slid his arms around her waist. She started in surprise, so he tightened his arms a little. 

“Hey, gorgeous,” he said warmly in his normal tone before bending to kiss her cheek and whispering, “What are you doin'? Steven can see you.”

Her body was soft curves and temptation as she relaxed against him. Even though he was hugging her for show, he let himself enjoy it.

“I'm trying to hear what he's saying,” she whispered back, “so I was pretending to be watching the ocean. I think he's setting up a meeting, but he's not talking loud enough for me to hear details.”

“Do you know who he's talkin' to?” Ray trailed slow, sensuous kisses across her jaw, ending with the sensitive place beneath her ear.

He heard her breath catch and she didn't answer right away. Were his kisses affecting her? The thought made his already interested body more interested, and he hoped he wouldn't embarrass himself.

He felt her swallow before she said quietly, “No. I didn't hear a name...”

She trailed off as he started to nibble delicately on her ear. Her breathing quickened and her hands went to his arms.

“Ray, I don't think...” Her voice was slightly breathless and a tantalizing shiver went through her.

“We have to put on a show, right?” he asked reasonably, moving his kisses lower. He traced lingering kisses down the slope of her neck, delighting in the feel of another shiver.

“Ray...Ray...Ray...Ray...” she protested firmly, or as firmly as she could with her voice so shaky. Ray was so fascinated by it that he couldn't have stopped if he wanted to. Carefully, he licked a place he'd noticed was extremely sensitive.

“Ray...” This time, it was a soft moan as she arched back against him, her hands tightening.

Ray froze, knowing he had gone too far. He didn't know what to do. If he let her go suddenly, it would seem strange to the others on the balcony. His body had responded very naturally to her moan and, if he kept on, they could both be in real trouble. He could feel someone's heart pounding, and he wasn't sure if it was hers or his. 

How had he not realized that attraction had her as much on edge as he was? She always seemed so calm and in control. Several things from over the past few weeks seemed to make more sense now. He'd have to be more careful in the future.

The question was, what was he going to do now? He knew what he wanted to do. He wanted to lick and suck and nibble until he heard her moan his name again. He wanted to slip his hands under the hem of her shirt and caress her silky skin. He wanted to turn her around and kiss her hungrily until one of them was begging for mercy, and he didn't even care which one.

Ray had been still so long, he felt her stiffen, and he could imagine the blush racing across her cheeks. Surely, she could feel what her moan had done to him; there was no way he could hide it.

“Sorry,” he whispered against her skin, resisting the urge to follow it with more kisses. “I think we might be able to get closer. Maybe we'll hear more from the ground.”

“I...I agree.” She tried for businesslike but didn't quite make it. Her voice sounded seductive to Ray, hints of her body's betrayal in her tone.

She was trembling slightly as she let go of his arms. Reluctantly, Ray released her and stepped away.

“Why don't we go for a walk, sweetheart?”

“That sounds like an excellent idea.”

When she turned, her face was flushed, and her eyes showed some of the desire she was trying to hide. Ray wasn't quite prepared for the impact seeing her that way would have on his libido. He was tempted to just forget about Steven and crush her against him. She was so beautiful, he wanted to taste her. Instead, he held out his hand.

“Ready?”

She took it and squeezed, moving close to bump her side against his.

“I'm going to get you for that,” she said, so low even Ray almost didn't hear her.

“I'm looking forward to it.”

She glanced up at him, her expression slightly startled, before she smoothed it out. He grinned at her cheekily and tugged on her hand, wondering if he could tease her later or whether this would be one of the things they 'never spoke of again'.

XXX

“So,” Meg said, sitting cross-legged on the bed in her pajamas. “We know there's going to be a meeting of some kind.”

She still felt slightly embarrassed about the incident on the balcony, but Ray was obviously refusing to let her feel awkward. He carried on as if nothing had happened, and that allowed her to do the same. It also allowed her to make an astonishing discovery. Yes, she had reacted physically to him, but he had reacted just as strongly. Not only that, but she found that she trusted Ray with her embarrassment, really trusted him. She could accept it and move on, confident that he wouldn't hold it against her or bring it up later to embarrass her further.

“Yeah,” he agreed. He was sitting on the couch, relaxed with his hands behind his head. “Sunday night at midnight.”

“I wish we knew with whom,” she sighed.

“We don't have to know who, we know where. Besides, it's probably Billy.”

Meg had told him about her brief conversation with the gofer and how Billy had obviously been lying about visiting his parents. “We've got to listen in on that meeting somehow.”

He nodded. “I know.”

“Maybe there is a way we can sneak there after the service and be there before Steven and his mysterious contact.” She bit her lip and doodled on the margins of her paper.

He sat up straight. “What is it?”

“Should we call Montgomery and tell him or should we wait to find out more?”

“Let's wait and see before we make up our minds.”

“Okay.” She shied away from the thought that by Sunday their assignment could be over, but she kept any hint of this out of her expression.

“It's taken us two months of dead ends, but I think we're finally onto somethin'.”

“So do I.”


	18. Chapter 18

“This is going to be so much fun,” Susie gushed as she and Jake followed Meg and Ray into couples' yoga. 

Meg had her hand in Ray's and her mind was on what would happen the next night. Puzzled, she asked, “Yoga?”

“No, of course not.” Susie waved this away.

Jake put his arm around his wife's shoulder. “I think she means the scavenger hunt.”

“Oh, yeah.” Meg didn't know what she thought of Sarah Lynn's latest announcement. “I've never participated in one before.”

“I have,” Susie told her. “They're great. You get a list of things to search for, and the first team to get them all wins.”

“Give it a chance,” Ray said, squeezing her hand.

“I will. It just sounds like an odd activity.”

“Welcome,” Matthew Dare, the couples' yoga instructor announced as they walked into the room. He was a small slip of a man with owlish glasses and a large nose. “I hope you're ready to stretch and relax.”

Meg was more than ready to relax. She had been trying to will the time away until Sunday ever since she'd overheard McKnight on the phone. At the same time, she had wished she could slow time so that it never happened.

“Sure,” Ray answered less than enthusiastically, leading Meg over to one of the two mats.

Meg had always enjoyed couples' yoga, but Ray didn't seem to care for it. The poses felt good and helped her centre, and even in the beginning when touching Ray had been uncomfortable, it had been nice.

“Let's begin with a down dog slash back bend, shall we?” Matthew always asked rather than ordered.

Ray grunted what Meg assumed was assent and let go of Meg's hand. He kicked off his shoes and took off his watch, though he left his bracelet on.

Without thinking, she reached out and ran her index finger along it. “Where did you get this, Ray? I notice you almost never take it off.”

A flicker of sadness went through his eyes. “It's a long story.”

“Some day, I might just ask you for it.”

“Some day, I might just tell it to you.”

Meg briefly laid her hand on his forearm before slipping off her own shoes and taking off the shirt she had on over her tank top.

Susie and Jake were already getting in the pose, so Meg gestured to Ray to get on the mat. He bent and planted his hands on the floor, making a tent with his body. With practiced ease, Meg leaned back against him. She sighed in contentment as her back fitted with his. In this pose, she was completely dependent on Ray. If he moved for any reason, she would fall but she wasn't even a bit nervous.

As she stretched backwards, pulling her arms over her head, she thought about how comfortable the two of them were with each other. Meg had never felt so physically trusting with another person in her life.

When the assignment ended, she was going to miss this easy intimacy. It felt good to let her guard down and let someone in, even if it was supposed to be fake.

Meg felt the sudden brush of Ray's fingers against her ankle. In this position, his fingers were the only thing he could move besides his head, which was pressed against the back of her thighs. Meg smiled. Ray had started touching her that way the very first time they did this pose. She had always believed it was to ease her discomfort at touching him like this.

Despite being an irritating smartass, Ray was often sweet and kind. That was something else she would miss. Meg wondered if he had come to like her as much as she liked him. She hoped so. 

“Good.” Matthew's voice broke into her thoughts. “Now, how about a hand holding seated twist?”

“I hate that one,” Ray mumbled as she pushed herself from his body.

“Why, Ray?” she asked, running her hand over his back before plunking onto the mat. “Don't you want to hold my hand?”

XXX

Meg and Ray sat huddled behind a stack of boxes in the dark. They had been there for what seemed like hours but it could have been less than one. Meg had no way of knowing; it was too dark to see her watch. She couldn't even see Ray, except for a faint outline, and he was so close that their thighs and arms were pressed together.

There was a wall behind them, and Meg leaned against it with her eyes closed. She didn't even care if spiders attacked her, she was too sleepy.

It had been a long day. In the morning, they had gone for a short horseback ride with Alex and Harrison. The sun had been hot, and Meg felt half baked when they got back. The afternoon was spent going over notes to see if they had missed anything. And then there had been the service. It was beautiful. Simple. Elegant. Meg thought Lily would have loved it, she seemed like that kind of woman. Both Billy and Steven were there, which seemed in very bad taste if they had killed her. For some reason, this observation had amused Ray.

A hand brushed over her thigh. “You all right?”

“Just tired.”

“Shouldn't be long.”

She just sighed in answer. The hand patted where it had just caressed. Without thinking, Meg put her own hand over it, lacing their fingers together.

There was no mistaking when the shed door opened. The hinges squeaked loudly, stabbing through Meg's head. The person who entered mumbled to himself and there was a sound of fumbling in the darkness. Seconds later, Meg saw a small flash of light between the boxes and the air filled with smoke.

She grimaced and put her free hand over her nose to block the cigarette's stench.

A few minutes later, the door opened again and then banged shut. The spark from the cigarette remained but whoever was out there didn't turn on any lights. 

“So,” Steven McKnight's cold voice as unmistakable. 

“They're here.” Meg listened very carefully to the second voice. It sounded vaguely familiar, but she couldn't place it. It wasn't Billy's and she didn't think it belonged to Emerson Fluke.

“When?”

“Yesterday morning. I stashed them with the rest. You planning on arming an army?”

“It doesn't pay to get too nosy.”

“Easy, big guy. Just making conversation.”

“When's the next delivery?”

“Tuesday.”

“As in the day after tomorrow?”

“Yeah.”

“Excellent. Storing them with the others?”

“Sure.”

“Good. There should be three more deliveries after that. Then you'll get your payment.”

“I hope so. I'm not doing this for my health.”

“Watch your step if you want to keep it.”

“Yeah. All right. Is it still okay that they're coming up from the cove?”

“No one knows what's going on. I'm just a man trying to please his wife.”

The other man laughed.

“I want to check on things,” Steven continued. “Any chance you can make sure the area's clear sometime during the week?”

“I'll send Billy with a note when I know when.”

“Good. Be careful.”

The door opened and the smell of smoke cleared. Meg had tensed up during the exchange and now her stomach churned with dread and excitement. Finally, they knew what was going on. There was only one more thing they needed to know before they called in Montgomery.

Where on the grounds was Steven hiding an arsenal big enough to equip and army?

XXX

In the hour between regular therapy and intimacy therapy Monday morning, Ray sat on the couch playing solitaire. Meg had made a quick trip to the cafeteria to get more coffee, and Ray had opted not to go.

As he played, the scene from the night before ran through his head. He examined it from all angles. Steven. Billy. Lily. Mystery Man. Emerson. How did it all fit together?

Ray frowned. There was something obvious he was missing. He went through it all again, focusing on Emerson. What was the groom's role in all this?

Oh. The deck of cards fell from his hand and spread over the floor like liquid. Could it be that simple? There was a locked door beside Emerson's office. Ray had always assumed it was for supplies, but what if...?

It was a long shot, but he had to know.

Ray didn't bother to pick up the cards before he went to the top drawer in the dresser. Without compunction, he pushed aside Meg's underwear and bras to fish out her notebook. As he ripped out a blank piece of paper, her forced himself not to think of her wearing those underwear—especially the lacy black ones. He dashed of a quick note and left it on the coffee table for her to find when she got back from the cafeteria.

As he hurried to the barn, he wondered what kind of traffic would be there at this time of day. He hoped he wouldn't have to deal with Emerson or any other guests. He wanted to get into that room and see if it held saddles or guns.

Ray didn't meet anyone on the way, though Eric Dever waved at him from across the lawn.

At the barn, Ray went in as if he belonged there, his hands buried casually in his pockets. 

“Hey,” he called, “anybody home?”

His voice echoed back to him, but this was the only reply. Without bothering to turn on any lights, he carefully moved through the main part of the building. Most of the horses were out for the day, but he heard a couple of whickers as he headed for the door at the back.

The space on the other side of the door wasn't quite as large. There was an area where Emerson stacked hay, some of which had spread out to cover the floor. Ray couldn't help but smile as he remembered the feel of Meg underneath him the last time he'd been there. Besides the hay, there were Emerson's office, two more small rooms that had once been stalls, and the locked door.

“Hello?” Ray said again, though the air was silent and still. 

He checked the offices and both of the abandoned stalls before studying the lock on the storeroom. It was a simple lock, like you could find at any hardware store. The best thing was, he knew how to pick one. 

Ray settled down on his knees in front of it and got to work. One minute passed, then three, then five. He was starting to despair after ten minutes when suddenly there was a click and the lock fell open. 

“Wow. Still got it.”

He stood and pushed open the door, flicking on the light as he did so. The breath stuck in his throat as he took in the piles of automatic weapons stacked around the large storage room. His stomach clenched and he knew he had to get out of there.

“What are you doing?”

The voice behind him made him jump, and Ray whirled to see Nathan Scott, the massage therapist.

“What are you doing here, Ray?” he asked again.

“Uh...I'm lost...I was lookin' for my wife.”

“Good try.” Nathan laughed, and it wasn't a nice laugh. Ray recognized it from in the shed the night before. “Unfortunately, you're really not supposed to be here.”

“Then, I guess I'll leave.”

Nathan reached into a pocket on his smock and pulled out a small gun. “I don't think so, Ray. The only place you're going is with me.”

XXX

Meg was humming as she entered their suite, a bag of coffee in her hand. Usually, she dreaded intimacy therapy, but the breakthrough in the case made it hard for even the prospect of discussing sex to break her mood.

“Ray, I'm back,” she called, slipping out of her sandals. “Ray, are you here?”

Puzzled when she didn't receive an answer, she went into the kitchen. It was as empty as the main room had been. Meg put the coffee on the counter, trying to remember if the bathroom door had been open.

A few more seconds of searching revealed that Ray was nowhere in their rooms. She was about to head out to look for him, when she noticed a small piece of paper on the coffee table. It had something scrawled on it in Ray's messy handwriting, so she picked it up.

“Meg, 

Gone to the barn. I think I know where they are. Join me.

Ray”

The message was cryptic but Meg suddenly remembered a locked door she had barely taken notice of, and she knew exactly what Ray meant.

A spark of anger went through her because he hadn't even bothered to wait a few minutes for her so they could go together. She intended to give him a piece of her mind as soon as she saw him again.

Frowning, she jabbed her feet back in her sandals and left in search of her wayward 'husband'.


	19. Chapter 19

The barn was quiet as Meg pushed the door open and hurried inside. She paused, listening for some sign of occupation. The silence was so complete that it was almost eerie, and she wondered if Ray was still there. 

Not wanting to be caught alone in the barn in the dark in case it appeared suspicious, she flicked the lights. It was immediately obvious that the main room was unoccupied by anyone but two horses. One of them kicked the side of his stall in greeting as she walked past.

“Hello, Midnight,” she said quietly.

The horse whickered, and she put her hand through his bars to stroke his nose.

At the end of the room, she turned the doorknob and slipped into the section beyond. Nothing appeared to be out of place, and Ray wasn't there. The large storeroom was still locked, and all the lights were off. 

“Is anyone here?” Meg asked. Her voice sounded loud in the empty room.

She was about to turn on the light when a low groan reached her from the direction of Emerson's office. The pain-tinged sound of it filled her with fear.

Meg hurried to the office and turned on the light. The room was even messier than usual, and crumpled in the middle of the debris was Emerson.. There was blood all over his face and clothes and one of his eyes was swollen shut. 

“Emerson!” 

She rushed over to kneel beside him. Something wet soaked into her jeans, and she looked down to see a spreading pool of blood.

“Left...to...die...” he choked out.

She knew getting him to talk could be harmful, but finding out what happened to Ray was more important.

“Who left you to die? What happened?”

“...Didn't think...didn't want...”

“Please, Emerson, tell me what happened.”

“...I tried...couldn't stop them...Ray...” He moaned.

Meg forced panic away and asked as calmly as she could, “Ray?”

“...found the...the...They caught him...”

The words made Meg's blood run cold. “What did they do to him? You have to tell me.”

“...took him...to clearing...bury the...the body...”

Meg didn't even recognize her own voice when she asked, “Is Ray dead?”

“Not yet...didn't know...I'm not...I'm not...they wouldn't listen...”

“I'm going to get you some help.” She jumped to her feet and ran to the desk. Shakily, she picked up the phone and dialed the number for the main building.

“Hello?” It was the bored voice of the secretary Ray had flirted with weeks before.

“There's been an accident. Emerson Fluke's been badly hurt. Send the doctor to the barn.”

“Who is this?”

“Just do it,” Meg said in her best Ice Queen voice. “If you don't, he'll die.”

Without waiting for an answer, she hung up and hurried out.

A vehicle, she thought as she ran. She needed a vehicle. When they went camping, it had taken them a half an hour in the vans to get to the clearing.

“Hi, Meg. You look like you're in a hurry.”

Meg almost passed the person without realizing she was there.

“Meg? Are you all right?”

The concerned voice jolted into Meg's thoughts, making her stop. She blinked and Susie Adair came into focus.

“Are you looking for Ray?”

“Yes. Have you seen him?”

“Just about ten minutes ago. He was with Steven, Billy Waters, and Nathan Scott. They took a couple of ATVs.” She frowned. “I didn't think guests were supposed to mingle with staff.”

“They aren't.” Meg took a deep breath, pushing all sense of fear and worry away to a separate corner of her mind. She had never been one for hysterics, and she wasn't going to let Ray's kidnapping break her apart. His life could depend on her remaining calm. “Listen, Susie, there's an emergency.”

Susie's green eyes widened. “An emergency?”

“Yes. Emerson Fluke's been attacked. I've called for the island paramedics, but someone needs to stay with him.”

“Attacked?”

“Focus, Susie.”

“Sorry.”

“Will you stay with him?”

Susie nodded. Her her was face pale, and her freckles stood out starkly against her skin.

“Can you do something else for me?”

“Okay.”

“I think Ray's in danger. I'm going after him.”

“In danger? From who?”

“I think Steven wants to kill him.”

“Our Steven? You can't be serious.”

Meg took the younger woman by the shoulders. “Listen to me, Susie. Steven McKnight is a very bad man. You need to call the authorities for me.”

“You can trust me, Meg.”

“Good.” She fished in her jeans pocket and came out with the card she'd been carrying around for two days. “Call this number and ask for Montgomery. Tell him we've been discovered and Ray's in danger. Do you understand?”

Susie's voice was barely a whisper when she answered, “Yes.”

“I can't hear you.”

She raised her chin and said firmly, “Yes.”

“Thank you. I've got to go. If I get there in time, I might be able to save him.”

“Good luck.”

She smiled grimly. “I'm going to need it.”

XXX

Ray was still dazed when they drove into the clearing. McKnight had clunked him good before shoving him on the ATV. His head rang and his vision swam, and he was pretty sure he was in no shape to escape. It didn't help that there were three of them and they all had guns.

The ATV stopped with a lurch, and Ray fell forward. Behind him, Steven slid off and grabbed him by the arm.

“Come on, Thatcher.”

Roughly, Steven dragged Ray to his feet. Ray stumbled slightly, pain slicing through his head. Angrily, Steven shook him before releasing him. Ray almost fell, but somehow managed to keep his feet.

“Who are you?”

Ray swallowed and put on his best poker face. “My name is Raymond Thatcher.”

“What were you doing in the barn?”

“I was lookin' for my wife.”

“Wrong answer.”

Steven nodded at Nathan, and the masseuse loomed over Ray. He was at least five inches taller and his body was lithe and strong. Ray grunted and folded as Nathan punched him hard in the gut. With a laugh, Billy Waters yanked him upward.

“Who do you work for?” Steven hissed.

“I own a bar in Edmonton.”

“Wrong again. Nathan?”

The second blow was worse, and he would have fallen without Billy's support. Ray coughed harshly.

“Listen,” Steven continued. “You're going to tell me what I want to know one way or another. Make it easy on yourself, and I'll give you a quick death. What do you know, Ray?”

“Nothin'.”

Steven sighed and shook his head. “Be a little rougher this time.”

Nathan grinned. “Sure thing.”

The blows came fast together now, most of them against his torso, though a couple hit his face. He couldn't even move or try to protect himself because Billy held him tight.

After what seemed like forever, the blows stopped and Steven's face was inches from his.

“Who are you, Ray? Who do you work for? How much do you know? Is Meg a part of this?”

Ray looked at him blearily. “Leave Meg outta this.”

“Listen, if you don't tell me everything, we're going to torture you until you die, then we're going to find that pretty little wife of yours and do the same to her...well, maybe not exactly the same.”

Ray lunged for Steven, but Billy effortlessly held him back.

Steven sneered. “Are you ready to talk, Ray?”

“Go to hell.”

“You first. Shoot him.”

XXX

Meg had ditched her ATV, afraid its engine would give her away, and was moving stealthily through the trees. Training had taught her how to move silently in these conditions, and she'd always had a good sense of direction.

As she walked, her apprehension grew. She forced quiet and calm on the surface, refusing to give in to panic, but inside her emotions were rolling and tumbling like members of Cirque de Soleil. Foremost among these was fear. It wasn't fear for herself, not that she'd get caught or shot, but fear for Ray. Her heart pounded with it; her nerves zinged with it.

The sound of a shot stilled her. She stopped and her whole body clenched in horror. For one agonizing minute, she couldn't move, couldn't breathe. Her lungs ached, her stomach ached, her heart ached. Her mind filled with silence.

“No,” she finally whispered, forcing the breath to enter her body. “He's not dead. I won't let him be dead.”

Her movements were quicker now, though still quiet, as she made her way towards the clearing.

It wasn't long before she heard voices. At first, they were low and muffled, too far away to understand the words. As she got closer, the words got clearer.

Someone cried out, and the sound made Meg's legs buckle. She had to reach out a hand and grab onto a nearby trunk to avoid falling on her face. Relief rushed through her wildly, making her short of breath. Ray was alive. She still had time.

“So, who are you, Ray? Who do you work for?”

“I'm Raymond Thatcher,” Ray gasped, his voice desperate and full of pain. “I'm a bartender.”

He gave another sharp cry.

“Now, Ray, you know each lie brings more pain. Start again.”

“I came here because I love my wife. We're workin' on our marriage. I don't know what's goin' on. The room was unlocked. I was lookin' for M...” His voice trailed off in another cry.

“Stepping on it doesn't seem to be convincing him. Maybe we should start breaking or cutting.”

Steven sounded so matter-of-fact that Meg shivered. Somehow, she had to get Ray out of there before the criminals got creative.

When she got close enough to see what was going on, Meg hunkered down near the ground and peered through the foliage. Near the resort's fire pit, there were four men. Her view was from the side, so she could see all of their faces clearly. Steven McKnight and Nathan Scott were facing Ray, who was slumped in Billy's arms. Her heart thumped when she saw Ray, and she willed him comfort and protection.

Steven's expression was ice. Meg had been called an ice queen many times, a lot of them by Ray, but she knew even she could never have managed to look that cold.

Ray raised his face, and Meg could see a bruise coming in under his cheekbone. “I guess if you're gonna kill me, that means you killed Lily Carr.”

“I tried,” Nathan Scott answered, “ but the bitch wouldn't die.”

Steven's glacier gaze turned to him and he flinched. Turning back to Ray, he said, “Since you're going to be dead, I guess it doesn't matter if you know. Nathan tried to kill her, but he was inept.”

“I wasn't inept,” Nathan protested. “The Adairs got there early.”

“It didn't matter.” Billy laughed with glee. “She died just fine for me.”

“Why?” Ray asked, wincing as if expecting another blow.

“Because my stupid wife—I love her, but she's dumb as dirt—told her who I was to get special treatment. Lily was going to go to the cops.”

Meg bit her lip, tuning out their conversation and letting possibilities flow through her mind. She had to save Ray. There were three criminals, and they all had guns. Meg had no weapons but sticks and rocks and, even if Susie had called Montgomery immediately, help was at least fifteen minutes away.

When it came, the plan was pretty shaky. She had no idea if it would work, and she put herself in danger of being dragged right into the clearing with Ray. It didn't matter. She didn't have time for finesse or thinking things through. She hated working with a half-formed plan, but it would have to do.

There wasn't much distance between trees, but there was enough for what she had in mind.

Grimly, she picked up a golfball sized rock and weighed it in her hand. Another cry from Ray galvanized her, and Meg threw the rock hard at a tree about ten feet away.

It hit with a rustle more than a smack, and Steven stiffened. Beside him, Nathan whirled and hauled out his gun. The good humour was gone from his face as he searched the trees.

“Dammit,” Steven said, “Go see what that was.”

“It was probably an animal,” Billy offered.

“When I want to hear from you, kid, I'll ask,” he snarled before turning to Nathan. “Go.”

Nathan nodded and crossed the grass to the tree line. Meg stood crouched and waiting as he entered the trees. His expression was wary and his gun was ready.

In the clearing, activity had stopped. Steven waited patiently with his own gun drawn, and Billy quietly held onto Ray. Meg spared them a brief glance before her attention focused completely on Nathan.

He moved further into the trees, his passage so noisy that it echoed around him. Twigs snapped, branches scraped. It was also obvious that he had no clue how to search forest land. Meg felt a flash of contempt as he passed her hiding place.

Nathan was taken by surprise when she pounced on him. Her body hit his hard, knocking him sideways against a tree. Meg had meant to bring him to the ground. Since he was so strong, she took advantage of his surprise to jab him in the throat with her elbow before he could recover. He choked, and his head smacked back against the tree for the second time.

She was pleased to see his eyes roll back. His body went limp, and he slid bonelessly to the ground. Triumphantly, she pried the gun from his hand.

As quickly as she could, Meg took off Nathan's shirt, fumbling a little with the buttons in her hurry. She used it to tie him as best as she could to the tree that had knocked him out. She hoped that it would hold.

“Nathan?” Steven's voice came to her filled with impatience. The second time, it was sharper. “Nathan?”

“A bear probably got him,” Ray suggested, and Meg had to admire the amusement that tinged his voice.

“Shut up.”

There was the sound of flesh on flesh and Meg winced. So much for being a smartass.

“If there's someone out there,” Steven said calmly, “You'd better come out. I've got a gun on Ray, and I'll use it.”

“I don't think you will,” Meg called back, “because if you do, I'll shoot you in the head.”

“Oh, hello, Meg,” Steven said with a chilly smile. “We were just talking about you.”

“All nice things, I hope.”

“I just wanted to know how much you know about my little operation here.” To Billy, he said, “Give him to me.”

“I know you have my husband, and I know I want him back.”

“Are you going to take him?”

“If I have to.”

Billy let go of Ray, and Steven went to grab him. As he did, Ray twisted, giving Billy a push. Billy stumbled into Steven, and the two of them tottered.

Ray took a step and went down with a cry. He began to roll towards the lake, but Meg wasn't paying attention to him. It was enough that he was away from his captors.

Without thinking, she aimed Nathan's small pistol and squeezed off a shot. As Meg intended, the bullet buried itself in Billy's backside, and the boy screamed. Angrily, Steven shoved him away and lifted his gun.

“No!” Meg yelled, firing again. The bullet hit Steven's shoulder and his gun thumped to the ground before he could get off a shot.

“Dammit, woman!” 

He dropped to the ground, reaching for the gun with his good hand. Ray had stopped rolling and was perfectly still. There was no way he'd be running on his own steam, and Steven was close enough that even wrong handed, he couldn't miss.

Meg didn't want to kill him. She'd rather he was taken in to be interrogated about his activities so the murder and the slavery would stop. With this firmly in mind, she tucked Nathan's gun into the waistband of her jeans and bent and picked up a rock slightly larger than the one she'd used to lure Nathan.

On pure instinct, she threw it as hard as she could, grateful for all the hours she had spent honing her skill. The stone hit Steven's head with a crunch. He grunted and wavered but stayed upright, and Meg wondered if she'd have to throw another.

Just as she started to bend, Steven let out a little sigh and crumpled to the ground.

Meg stared at him with disbelief for about three seconds before her thoughts went back to Ray. Then, suddenly, she was in motion.

She ran out of the trees and passed the writhing and crying Billy. Absently, she heard the sound of a helicopter, but it didn't really register. All she could concentrate on was getting to Ray.

When she reached him, she dropped to her knees in the grass and dirt beside him. With gentle, trembling hands, she turned him over, fearing the worst.

“Ray?” she whispered.

He groaned at the movement and blinked open his eyes. His face was smudged with dirt, and there were a couple of bruises, but to Meg it looked wonderful. She brushed her fingers over his forehead, and then trailed them down his cheek.

“Meg?”

“It's me. How do you feel?”

“Terrible.”

A laugh that was almost a sob bubbled out of her at his honesty. “I was so worried.”

“You were amazin'.” His eyes were slightly out of focus, and she wondered how much they'd done to him before she'd arrived.

The air around them began to move, and Meg's hair was blown forward. It was too short to really go into her face, but she blinked as her bangs touched her eyelashes. 

Giving in to impulse and not caring that she could be seen, Meg hugged him. “You could have been killed.”

“I knew you'd save me.”

She kissed his cheek before pulling away. “Ray...I...”

A hand dropped on her shoulder, and Meg looked up to see Montgomery's dark, fatherly face. “Meg?”

“He's been hurt. Badly.”

“The paramedics are right behind us. Can you tell me what happened?”

She wanted to refuse. Leaving Ray would be like a stab to her gut. Still, there was duty. There was always duty.

Reluctantly, Meg nodded and stood, allowing one of Montgomery's team to take her place to assess Ray's injuries until the paramedics got there. Montgomery took her arm and steadied her, an action she might have resented if his eyes weren't so understanding.

Sighing, she straightened her backbone and pulled away. When she spoke, she was Inspector Thatcher. The words were clipped and precise.

“Thursday night, we heard Steven arranging a meeting with, I assume, Nathan Scott...”

XXX

Meg blinked tiredly as she entered her hotel room. Her whole body dragged with fatigue, and she could feel a headache forming behind her eyes.

It had been a rough couple of days. Just the day before, she had been Mrs. Raymond Thatcher, happily married and trying not to dwell on the embarrassment that was intimacy therapy. Since then, Ray had been kidnapped, she had shot two people, and her life had changed completely. After explaining everything to Montgomery, she had left with him in his helicopter and Ray had gone with the paramedics. She hadn't seen him since.

On the mainland, she was met by two Canadian agents, Peter Bernard and Chet Selzer. They whisked her off on a trip to Ottawa that had taken most of the night. What little sleep she got, she got on the plane before Bernard and Selzer started grilling her on her assignment and what she'd learned.

When she could get in some questions of her own, she asked about Ray. She learned that even though he'd been shot in the foot and was pretty bruised up, he was doing well and wouldn't suffer any permanent damage. Meg also learned that he would be questioned by agents from his own country. After a week of being questioned separately, they would be questioned together. She was looking forward to seeing him again and assuring herself that he was all right with her own eyes.

After hours of going over her assignment with Bernard and Selzer, they had finally taken pity on her and let her go for the rest of the day. Meg had eaten and now, though it was barely seven, she had come back to her room to call her father and get some rest.

Meg ran an exhausted hand over her forehead, tempted to just give in and curl up on the bed in her clothes. Of course, she was still wearing the filthy jeans and sap-sticky brown silk shirt she had been wearing for over twenty-four hours, her hair felt as if it were crawling off of her head, and the toes sticking out of her sandals looked as if they belonged to someone several shades darker.

With a sigh, she opened the bag someone, she had no idea who, had packed for her and sent along. Slowly, she started taking out the clothes, sticking them in drawers and hanging the nice ones in the room's small closet. 

Her stomach did a funny little flutter when she brought out a dark green t-shirt. On one side was the resort's logo; the other side said, “Ray”.

Quickly, she brought the shirt up to her face. It might have been her imagination, but it seemed to still smell like him, even after washing.

She missed him. Even though she knew she would, it was still hard to admit to herself. She didn't want to think of the loneliness ahead for her, now that she was used to sharing her life with someone.

With a frown, Meg grabbed a pair of underwear out of the bag and slid out of her sandals. Taking her hairbrush and toothbrush with her, she went into the bathroom.

Maybe a hot shower would put things into perspective.

XXX

After the week was over, Meg was moved to a hotel in a small border town in Manitoba. It was neutral ground and Meg, Bernard, and Selzer would be meeting with Ray and two American agents to compare their versions of events and discuss how things were going to proceed with the charges against McKnight.

Meg walked into the debriefing room determined not to show any hint of what she was thinking or feeling. She had been on assignment, and now it was over. Emotions were irrelevant. It didn't matter that she had spent the past week sleeping in Ray's shirt or that she missed him so much that it ached. It had been a job and any discomfort she felt was her own fault for partially losing sight of that.

Mrs. Megan Thatcher no longer existed. In reality, she had never existed. Inspector Meg Thatcher, RCMP, was the real woman, and she had to be the one facing those men today.

Meg hated how, even as her face remained serene and indifferent, her eyes searched for Ray. He was sitting alone on the left side of the table, facing four men in suits. A pair of crutches was propped up against the wall next to him, and there were still faint traces of bruises on his face. He was dressed in his usual t-shirt and jeans, and he was slouched comfortably in his chair, though his expression was wary. Meg had an irrational urge to put her body between him and the cold eyes of their superiors, even though she had no idea what she'd be protecting him from.

His gaze had been on the table as he worked a toothpick back and forth between his lips. He must have heard her enter because his eyes suddenly snapped up to her face.

He smiled warmly. “Hey, Inspector.”

It seemed so strange to hear him call her that. She badly wanted to answer his smile with one of her own. Instead, she inclined her head politely. “Detective.”

His smile never dimmed, and she was perversely glad.

“Please sit, Inspector,” Selzer said, and she tore her gaze away from Ray to study the other four men. “Allow me to introduce Agent Morelli and Agent Plum of the United States.”

Meg shook each man's hand before taking a seat next to Ray. She held back a surprised sound as he gently bumped her knee with his.

“Please lay out the final confrontation as you experienced it once more for Agents Morelli and Plum, Inspector Thatcher. Be detailed.” Selzer's eyes flicked to Ray. “You will get a chance to tell your side as well, Detective. We wish to compare them.”

“Well,” Meg started. She had gone through her showdown with McKnight at least four times already, and it didn't get any easier. She hated thinking of the fear and the blood and the desperation. She swallowed and kept her face expressionless. “When I found out Detective Vecchio was missing...”

She trailed off as the detective in question poked her lightly in the arm. When she turned to look at him, he winked at her. Warmth replaced the residual horror, and her hard mask couldn't stand up to the pressure of it. Meg found herself smiling and winking back almost against her will. Ray's hand squeezed hers briefly, and she continued, feeling stronger.

The story came out much easier this time and, when she was finished, she listened raptly to Ray's version of events. He made her seem amazing—heroic. She hadn't felt heroic at the time; she had been damned scared.

The questions started after that. They went on and on, relentless, even though the agents had several days to ask all they wanted. The questions covered the whole assignment, though most centred on the last few weeks. Meg and Ray answered as if they'd practiced several times, at times finishing each other's thoughts. To Meg, it felt almost as if they were still at the resort where the two of them had to work together against the rest of the world.

Around five, the questions ended for the day. Morelli held up his hand and said, “I think that's enough for today. This meeting will reconvene tomorrow morning at nine. We need to discuss what we've learned from you before we go further. The two of you are now officially divorced.”

He held out his hand. Puzzled, Meg stared at it, then glanced at Ray.

“I think he wants our wedding rings.”

“Wedding...”

Realization dawned on Meg. She had completely forgotten she was wearing the ring. She watched Ray take off his own, noticing for the first time that he still wore it. Her eyes dropped to the simple golden band on her hand. Nervously, she turned it, fighting an urge to bite her lip. The ring had become so much a part of her that she didn't want to take it off. She didn't want the assignment to end. Knowing that was folly, she forced herself to slowly slide it from her finger. There was a stab of pain as she placed it gently in Morelli's hand on top of Ray's, and she suddenly felt bereft.

Ray was watching her, so she raised her eyes to his face. Keeping her expression light, she commented, “No more ball and chain.”

“Righto, Inspector.” She wondered if giving back the ring had touched him at all.

Meg got up, carefully concealing her emotions. Without looking at anyone, she headed to the door. She heard Ray pull himself to his feet behind her and forced herself not to turn back to see if he needed help.

It wasn't until she was in the hallway that she realized she had paced her steps so that he could catch up.

She heard him coming up behind her, his crutches thumping against the floor. Against her will, her body stopped and waited.

“Hey,” he said quietly.

She glanced up at him, studying his face. Besides the faded bruises, he looked tired. There was a weariness in his eyes she hadn't seen before.

“Hey,” she answered.

“I hear the restaurant in this place ain't bad.”

“Really?”

“Wanna check it out?”

“Together?”

He shrugged. “Why not?”

She smiled, feeling inexplicably shy. “I'd like that.”

Ray's fingers brushed her arm. “Me too.”

The two of them went quietly down the hallway, close together but not touching. The only sound was the thump, thump, thump of Ray's crutches.

Meg was just starting to let herself fall into a comfortable haze when Ray stopped and glanced at her.

“What is it?”

“You buyin'?”

“Ray!” she exclaimed with amusement.

“Just askin',” he replied with a grin.

Meg couldn't help but laugh at his expression. He joined her, and any residual awkwardness melted away as they were surrounded by the sounds of their mirth.

The End

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much to primroseburrows for the beta, and eviinsanemonkey and exbex for the preliminary read through. I could never have finished this on time without you.
> 
> This is my second year doing this challenge. My first effort was Melting the Ice Queen, which can be found here under my story list.


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